When to speak of Aids
If an HIV infection remains untreated, the viruses damage the body and the immune system.
Later, life-threatening illnesses occur, such as severe pneumonia. Only then do we speak of AIDS.
This is an abbreviation and stands for "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome". In German: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Every year, more than 1,000 people in Germany contract AIDSalthough this could have been avoided with an earlier diagnosis. This is because a timely HIV test and subsequent treatment can prevent AIDS.
More about symptoms and the course of HIV.
The history of Aids
The HI virus was discovered in 1983 and identified as the cause of Aids in the same year. For a long time, HIV was a fatal diagnosis - because an effective treatment option for HIV to prevent AIDS only came much later (the so-called "antiretroviral therapy", which was introduced in 1996).
Thanks to ever-improving therapies, nobody in Germany has to suffer from AIDS any more. HIV is now a chronic disease that is easy to treat.
Detailed information and background information on the history of HIV and Aids can be found at on Magazin.hiv, the online magazine of Deutsche Aidshilfe.
AIDS test
You can only find out whether you are HIV-positive with a HIV test to find out. Many people call this an "Aids test", which is not entirely correct. An HIV test usually detects HIV antibodies, even if AIDS has not yet broken out. If a test is positive, you can start HIV treatment and thus prevent the outbreak of AIDS. Today, you can live well and for a long time with HIV.
