AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death among people aged 25 - 44 in the United States, down from number one in 1995. About 25 million people worldwide have died from this infection since the start of the epidemic, and 40.3 million people around the world are currently living with HIV/AIDS.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes AIDS. The virus attacks the immune system and leaves the body vulnerable to a variety of life-threatening infections and cancers.
Common bacteria, yeast, parasites, and viruses that ordinarily do not cause serious disease in people with healthy immune systems can cause fatal illnesses in people with AIDS.
HIV has been found in saliva, tears, nervous system tissue and spinal fluid, blood, semen (including pre-seminal fluid, which is the liquid that comes out prior to ejaculation), vaginal fluid, and breast milk. However, only blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk generally transmit infection to others.
The virus can be transmitted:
Through sexual contact -- including oral, vaginal, and anal sex
Through blood -- via blood transfusions (now extremely rare in the US) or needle sharing
From mother to child -- a pregnant woman can transmit the virus to her fetus through their shared blood circulation, or a nursing mother can transmit it to her baby in her milk
Other transmission methods are rare and include accidental needle injury, artificial insemination with infected donated semen, and organ transplantation with infected organs.
HIV infection is not spread by casual contact such as hugging, by touching items previously touched by a person infected with the virus, during participation in sports, or by mosquitoes.
It is NOT transmitted to a person who DONATES blood or organs. Those who donate organs are never in direct contact with those who receive them. Likewise, a person who donates blood is not in contact with the person receiving it. In all these procedures, sterile needles and instruments are used.
However, HIV can be transmitted to a person RECEIVING blood or organs from an infected donor.
HIV infection (5 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
HIV infection is a disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus(HIV). The condition gradually destroys the immune system, which makes it harder for the body to fight off infections.This article provides a general overview. Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 04/27/2008
Early symptomatic HIV infection (10 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Early symptomatic HIV infection is a stage of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus when symptoms are present but AIDS has not yet developed.AIDS-related complex- ARC; Chronic symptomatic HIV infection.Early symptomatic HIV infection has...Reviewer: Kenneth M. Wener, MD, Department of Infectious Diseases, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 11/01/2007
Acute HIV infection (4 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Acute HIV infection is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus(HIV), a virus that gradually destroys the immune system.Primary HIV infection; HIV seroconversion syndrome; Acute retroviral syndrome.Primary or acute HIV infection is a condition t...Reviewer: Kenneth M. Wener, M.D., Department of Infectious Diseases, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 11/01/2007
ELISA/Western blot tests for HIV (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
HIV ELISA/Western blot is a set of blood tests used to diagnose chronic infection with human immunodeficiency virus(HIV).Blood is typically drawn from a vein, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The site is cleaned with g...Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. Date: 06/05/2009
Kaposi's sarcoma (6 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Kaposi''s sarcoma is a cancerous tumor of the connective tissue, and is often associated with AIDS.Before the AIDS epidemic, Kaposi''s sarcoma was seen mainly in elderly Italian and Jewish men, and rarely, in elderly women. Among this group, the tum...Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 09/28/2008
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (3 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia(PCP) is a fungal infection of the lungs.PCP is a pneumonia caused by the fungal organism Pneumocystis carinii( now renamed Pneumocystis jiroveci). This organism is common in the environment and does not cause illness...Reviewer: Kenneth M. Wener, M.D., Department of Infectious Diseases, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 11/01/2007
Pneumonia - weakened immune system (4 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pneumonia is a lung infection that can be caused by many different germs, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi.This article discusses describes pneumonia that occurs in a person whose ability to fight infection is greatly reduced because their i...Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 06/10/2009
Immunodeficiency disorders (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Immunodeficiency disorders occur when the body''s immune response is reduced or absent.Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Stuart I. Henochowicz, MD, FACP, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Georgetown University Medical School. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. Date: 05/02/2008
CMV - immunocompromised host (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a member of a group of herpes-type viruses that can cause disease in different parts of the body in people with weakened immune systems. Cytomegalovirus - immunocompromised hostMost humans are exposed to CMV in their lifet...Reviewer: Kenneth M. Wener, M.D., Department of Infectious Diseases, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 11/01/2007
AIDS - resources (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
The following organizations are good resources for information on AIDS: AIDS.gov - www.aids.gov; Gay Men's Health Crisis - www.gmhc.org; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - www.cdc.gov. Reviewer: Jennifer K. Mannheim, CRNP, private practice, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 10/18/2008
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