Loading…
Loading…
GCSE Combined Science · key term
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: late-stage HIV infection in which the immune system is so badly damaged that it can no longer deal with other infections or cancers.
Used by AQA and Edexcel
Specification 4.3.1.2 · Paper 1
Revise: Viral diseasesAIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is late-stage HIV infection. At this stage, the immune system is so badly damaged that it can no longer deal with other infections or cancers. HIV and AIDS are therefore not interchangeable names: HIV is the virus, while AIDS describes the advanced stage of the infection.
Paper 1, Paper 2
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome: a condition in which HIV has severely weakened the immune system, allowing life-threatening infections and other illnesses to develop.
Revise: Health and Communicable DiseasesIf untreated, HIV can lead to AIDS, when severe immune damage allows life-threatening illnesses to develop. HIV and AIDS are therefore not interchangeable names: HIV is the virus, while AIDS is a condition that can result from its effects.
Distinguish HIV, the virus, from AIDS, the late stage of HIV infection. Explain that damage to immune cells leaves the body unable to deal with other infections or cancers.
HIV is the virus; AIDS is the condition that can develop after HIV has severely weakened the immune system.
Create a free account to read GCSE Combined Science revision notes for your exam board and track your progress.