Acquired Immune Deficiency Sy... : Complications

When a person is infected with HIV, the virus slowly begins to destroy that person's immune system. How fast this occurs differs in each individual. Treatment with HAART can help slow and even halt the destruction of the immune system. Once the im...

At the present time, there is no cure for AIDS. Treatment stresses aggressive combination drug therapy for those patients with access to the expensive medications and who tolerate them adequately. The use of these multi-drug therapies has signific...

Presently, there is no cure for HIV infection or AIDS, nor is there a vaccine to prevent the HIV infection. However, there are new medications that help slow the progression of the infection and reduce the seriousness of HIV consequences in many p...

No cure for AIDS has been discovered. Treatment stresses aggressive combination drug therapy for those patients with access to the expensive medications and who tolerate them adequately. The use of these multi-drug therapies, called highly active ...

The prognosis for individuals with AIDS in recent years has improved significantly because of new drugs and treatments, and educational and preventive efforts. Women whose HIV infections are detected early and receive appropriate treatment survive...

Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially fatal contagious disease that can affect almost any part of the body but is mainly an infection of the lungs. It is caused by a bacterial microorganism, the tubercle bacillus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Although TB can be treated, cured, and can be prevented if persons at risk take certain drugs, scientists have never come close to wiping it out. Few diseases have caused so much distressing illness for centuries and claimed so many lives.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially fatal contagious disease that can affect almost any part of the body but is mainly an infection of the lungs . It is caused by a bacterial microorganism: the tubercle bacillus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Although TB can be treated and cured, and can be prevented if persons at risk take certain drugs, medical science has never succeeded in eradicating the disease. Few diseases have caused so much distressing illness for centuries and claimed so many lives.

Tuberculosis is a chronic, infectious disease that primarily attacks the lungs.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious and potentially fatal disease that can affect almost any part of the body but manifests mainly as an infection of the lungs. It is caused by a bacterial microorganism, the tubercle bacillus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis . TB infection can either be acute and short-lived or chronic and long-term.

Kaposi's sarcoma is a cancerous tumor of the connective tissue, and is often associated with AIDS.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a cancer of the skin, mucous membranes, and blood vessels; it is the most common form of cancer in AIDS patients. It was named for Dr. Moritz Kaposi (1837-1902), a Hungarian dermatologist who first described it in 1872. As of 2001, researchers disagree as to whether KS is a true cancer or a disorder of the skin that develops as a reaction to infection by a herpesvirus.

Kaposi's sarcoma is a form of skin cancer that can involve internal organs. It is most often found in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( AIDS ), and can be fatal.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), also called multiple idiopathic hemorrhagic sarcoma, is a neoplastic disease associated especially with AIDS , usually affecting the skin and mucous membranes.

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is a fungal infection of the lungs.

Pneumocystis pneumonia is a lung infection that occurs primarily in people with weakened immune systems—especially people who are HIV-positive. The disease agent is an organism whose biological classification is still uncertain. Pneumocystis carinii was originally thought to be a one-celled organism (a protozoan), but more recent research suggests that it is a fungus. Although its life cycle is known to have three stages, its method of reproduction is not yet completely understood. The complete name of the disease is Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, often shortened to PCP. PCP is also sometimes called pneumocystosis.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare disorder that damages the material (myelin) that covers and protects nerves in the white matter of the brain.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rapidly progressive neuromuscular disease caused by opportunistic infection of brain cells (oligodendrocytes and astrocytes) by the JC virus (JCV).

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is a rare, fatal disease of the white matter of the brain that almost solely strikes individuals who already have weakened immune systems.

Candidiasis is an infection caused by a species of the yeast Candida , usually Candida albicans . This is a common cause of vaginal infections in women. Also, Candida may cause mouth infections in people with reduced immune function, or in patients taking certain antibiotics . Candida can be found in virtually all normal people but causes problems in only a fraction. In recent years, however, several serious categories of candidiasis have become more common, due to overuse of antibiotics, the rise of AIDS , the increase in organ transplantations, and the use of invasive devices (catheters, artificial joints and valves)—all of which increase a patient's susceptibility to infection.

Candidiasis (thrush, monilia infection) is caused by a fungus that most commonly infects the mouth (usually of infants or persons with weakened immune systems), or the vagina (yeast infection). Another form of candidiasis causes painful inflammation under the fingernails (paronychia). It also occurs as an opportunistic infection in the late stages of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), as a nosocomial infection after catheterization; and it can invade the spinal canal and meninges, where it is obviously much more serious. Candidiasis is transmitted by close contact of an infected with an uninfected mucous membrane. Infants acquire it as they pass through the birth canal. Topical application of antifungal paint or ointment can usually eliminate the infection and thus prevent transmission. Management is more difficult in debilitated and immunocompromised patients, in whom the condition can be very stubborn. J OHN M. L AST ( SEE ALSO : Fungal Infections ; Fungicides )

Candidiasis is an infection caused by a species of the yeast Candida , usually the Candida albicans fungus. Candida is found on various parts of the bodies of almost all normal people but causes problems in only a few. Candidiasis can affect the skin, nails, and mucous membranes throughout the body including the mouth (thrush), esophagus, vagina (yeast infection), intestines, and lungs.

Cytomegalic inclusion body disease (CIBD) is a condition caused by infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV), a type of herpes virus. A hallmark of CIBD is the periodic reappearance of symptoms throughout life, as the virus cycles through periods of latency and active infection.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a virus related to the group of herpes viruses. Infection with CMV can cause no symptoms, or can be the source of serious illness in people with weak immune systems. CMV infection is also an important cause of birth defects .

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a virus related to the group of herpes viruses. Infection with CMV can cause no symptoms or can be the source of serious illness in people with weak immune systems. CMV infection is also an important cause of birth defects.

As the name indicates, cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is a virus infection. It is caused by herpes virus type 5, and it takes two forms. Intrauterine infection of the fetus is a very serious, often lethal, condition that affects a small proportion (about 5–10%) of infants whose mothers contract the infection during pregnancy. In the United States this is about 0.5 to 1.0 percent of all pregnancies. When it is not fatal, the infant may suffer from permanent neurological damage, as well as damage to the eyes, liver, lungs, and other organs. CMV infection is also a serious risk following organ and bone-marrow transplants. The risk is greatest when the donor is seropositive (i.e. a carrier) and the recipient is seronegative. A third category of CMV infection can occur as a complication of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). CMV is transmitted mainly by intimate personal contact of an infected and an uninfected mucosal surface during sexual intercourse, by body secretions, and in feces. The incubation period is several weeks, and infected individuals remain capable of transmitting the virus for many months, perhaps for life. Antiviral agents may arrest the progress of the disease, but by far the most important actions are preventive, including careful attention to hygiene at all times. Universal precautions are highly desirable in handling all suspected or potentially contaminated body secretions. J OHN M. L AST ( SEE ALSO : Communicable Disease Control ; HIV/AIDS ; Maternal and Child Health ; Pregnancy )