HIV infection and AIDS
Lloyd, A.
Papua and new Guinea Medical Journal 39(3): 174-180
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0031-1480 PMID: 9795558 Document Number: 467156
This article presents basic information on the clinical features of HIV infection, most of which are related to the profound immune deficiency associated with HIV/AIDS. Primary HIV infection is associated with clinical symptoms, primarily a mononucleosis syndrome, in about 50% of cases. In the ensuing 10 years, more than 50% of HIV-infected individuals develop the opportunistic infections (OIs) indicative of the onset of AIDS. Common presentations of AIDS include pneumonia, dysphagia, diarrhea, neurologic symptoms, fever, wasting, anemia, and vision loss. Monitoring of peripheral blood CD4 T-lymphocytes provides a measure of the current risk of OIs and a guide for antiretroviral therapy. Protease inhibitors, used in combination with other antiretrovirals, allow long-term control of HIV disease, but the substantial cost of these drugs has prohibited their widespread use in developing countries. Treatment of HIV-related infections must be followed by a maintenance regimen intended to prevent relapse.