Which statement about AIDS is correct?

Which statement about AIDS is correct?

• A. A mild immune deficiency
• B. A skin condition
• C. A bacterial infection
• D. A severely damaged immune system unable to fight infections or cancers

Answer: (D)

AIDS is the stage of HIV infection where the immune system is severely damaged, so the body cannot effectively defend itself against infections or cancers. HIV attacks CD4+ T cells, and as their numbers fall, the immune defenses weaken, allowing opportunistic infections and some cancers to take hold. When this level of immune collapse occurs or when specific infections/cancers appear, the condition is diagnosed as AIDS. This is why describing AIDS as a severely damaged immune system unable to fight infections or cancers is the accurate depiction. It isn’t a mild immune deficiency, a skin condition, or a bacterial infection.

AIDS is the stage of HIV infection where the immune system is severely damaged, so the body cannot effectively defend itself against infections or cancers. HIV attacks CD4+ T cells, and as their numbers fall, the immune defenses weaken, allowing opportunistic infections and some cancers to take hold. When this level of immune collapse occurs or when specific infections/cancers appear, the condition is diagnosed as AIDS. This is why describing AIDS as a severely damaged immune system unable to fight infections or cancers is the accurate depiction. It isn’t a mild immune deficiency, a skin condition, or a bacterial infection.