Learn more about HIV :: What is AIDS?

What does AIDS stand for?

Acquired - because HIV is not a condition passed on genetically; a person has to become infected with it.

Immune - because the immune system's ability to fight off viruses and bacteria becomes much less effective.

Deficiency - because the immune system fails to work properly.

Syndrome - because there is a wide range of diseases and infections a person may experience. When HIV disease was first recognized in the early 1980s, it was called AIDS. Today, the term "HIV disease" is a more accurate description of the condition. However, AIDS is still used, primarily for the purpose of counting infections and as a description for advanced-stages of HIV disease. AIDS refers to individuals who have particular "AIDS-defining" conditions or a low CD4 white blood cell count.