Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome

AIDS is a syndrome caused by the HIV virus. It is when a person’s immune system is too weak to fight off many infections, and develops when the HIV infection is very advanced. This is the last stage of HIV infection where the body can no longer defend itself and may develop various diseases, infections and if left untreated, death. There is currently no cure for HIV or AIDS. However, with the right treatment and support, people can live long and healthy lives with HIV.

1. It may cause influenza-like illness, tuberculosis, opportunistic infections and tumors, pneumocystis pneumonia, severe weight loss, Kaposi's sarcoma. The time period usually ranges from 6 months (rarely) to 15+ years. HIV infection passes through a series of steps or stages before it turns into AIDS. These stages of infection as outlined in 1993 by the Centers for Disease Control. Seroconversion illness – this occurs in 1 to 6 weeks after acquiring the infection. The feeling is similar to a bout of flu.

2. Asymptomatic infection – After seroconversion, virus levels are low and replication continues slowly. CD4 and CD8 lymphocyte levels are normal. This stage has no symptoms and may persist for years together.

3. Persistent generalised lymphadenopathy (PGL) – The lymph nodes in these patients are swollen for three months or longer and not due to any other cause.

4. Symptomatic infection – This stage manifests with symptoms. In addition, there may be opportunistic infections. This collection of symptoms and signs is referred to as the AIDS-related complex (ARC) and is regarded as a prodrome or precursor to AIDS.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized as a new disease in the United States when clinicians in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. By 1993, AIDS had become the leading cause of death among persons 25 to 44 years old and eighth overall among all causes of death, accounting for 2% of all deaths. The epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the United States has changed significantly over the past 30 years. HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is currently a disease of greater demographic diversity, affecting all ages, sexes, and races, and involving multiple transmission risk behaviors.

The standards of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease care, including opportunistic infection prophylaxis, treatment with ART, and the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (pMTCT) of HIV. Per-person survival benefits for each era were determined using a mathematical simulation model. Published estimates provided the number of adult patients with new diagnoses of AIDS who were receiving care in the United States from 1989 to 2003. The past 15 years have brought major advances in HIV treatment in the U.S. a research group used its widely published model of HIV/AIDS natural history incorporating nationally representative surveillance data, as well as efficacy data on different treatment regimens during six treatment eras from 1989 through 2003.