The acronym AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The immune system is impaired in this state as a result of HIV infection that has gone untreated for many years. A person with HIV who is diagnosed and treated with antiretroviral medication early on is unlikely to develop AIDS. People with HIV who are not diagnosed until later in life or who are aware that they have HIV but do not take their antiretroviral therapy consistently may develop AIDS. They may also acquire AIDS if they have an HIV strain that is resistant to (and does not react to) antiretroviral therapy. People living with HIV are more likely to get AIDS if they do not receive effective and consistent therapy. By that time, the immune system has suffered significant damage and is having a difficult time responding to infection and disease. Antiretroviral medication allows a person to have a persistent HIV infection without acquiring AIDS for decades. AIDS symptoms can include: fever that comes and goes lymph glands swollen for a long time, especially in the armpits, neck, and groyne chronic exhaustion sweating during night black splotches beneath the skin or within the mouth, nose, or eyelids mouth and tongue sores, patches, or lesions, genitals, or anus Antiretroviral therapy keeps the virus under control and prevents the disease from progressing to AIDS. Other AIDS-related illnesses and consequences can also be addressed. That treatment must be adapted to the person's specific needs.