Perplexity on the circular nature of HIV logic
Case definitions and correlation Defining AIDS by HIV positivity AIDS-defining diseases (e.g., PCP, certain cancers) are counted as “AIDS” only if the patient is HIV‑positive; the same conditions in HIV‑negative people are labeled under their ordinary names, so the “perfect correlation” of HIV with AIDS is partly built into the definition itself. biotech-asia +1 Using that constructed correlation as proof of causation After defining AIDS only in HIV‑positives, the high percentage of AIDS cases that are HIV‑positive is then cited as evidence that HIV causes AIDS, though the data were pre‑sorted by HIV status. bmj +2 Treating “AIDS without HIV” as “not AIDS” Severe immune deficiency with opportunistic infections in HIV‑negative patients has been classified as something other than AIDS, which critics argue protects the axiom that “AIDS always involves HIV” by definition rather than by observation. publishing.cdlib +1 Using AIDS itself as a gold standard for HIV infection Some ...
