How Does HIV/AIDS affect the immune system?

How does HIV/AIDS affect the immune system?

The human immune system is largely made up of 'helper' t-cells. T-cells scan any unrecognized, therefore any threatening, substance or bacteria that enters the body; in this case it is a virus. The scan allows the t-cells to create the correct anti-bodies to destroy the virus. However, the HIV virus has the ability to mutate itself throughout it's time in the body, making the t-cells re-scan and re-create new anti-bodies every time a mutation happens. While this is happening, the way the HIV virus re-produces is by sending some of it's DNA into a nearby t-cells, corrupting it's genetic coding and destroying it while creating more HIV virus cell sin the process. This is how HIV and AIDS can kill you. The virus itself doesn't kill you, your immune system's inability to illuminate any simple or complicated sickness that works it's way into your body is what brings you to your demise.

citation: http://people.ku.edu/~jbrown/hiv.html