AIDS

Signs and Symptoms

AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV infection, when the immune system is damaged. Without treatment, about half of those with HIV develop AIDS within 10 years, although the period between infection and development varies widely from one to 20 years.

Symptoms are caused by the deterioration of the immune system and the decline of CD4+ T cells that are the immune system's key infection fighters. As soon as HIV enters the body, it begins to destroy these cells. Some common symptoms include:

• Diarrhea that lasts for more than a week
• Dry cough
• Memory loss, depression and neurological disorders
• Pneumonia
• Profound, unexplained fatigue
• Rapid weight loss
• Recurring fever or profuse night sweats
• Red, brown, pink or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth, nose or eyelids
• Swollen lymph glands in the armpits, groin or neck
• White spots or unusual blemishes on the tongue, in the mouth, or in the throat

Symptoms of opportunistic infections common with AIDS include:

• Coma
• Coughing and shortness of breath
• Difficult or painful swallowing
• Extreme fatigue
• Fever
• Mental symptoms such as confusion and forgetfulness
• Nausea, abdominal cramps and vomiting
• Seizures and lack of coordination
• Severe, persistent diarrhea
• Severe headaches
• Vision loss
• Weight loss

See our patient education information on opportunistic infections associated with AIDS.

Diagnosis

People are diagnosed with AIDS when they have certain signs or symptoms defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC's definition of AIDS includes:

• Less than 200 CD4+ T cells per cubic millimeter of blood, compared with about 1,000 CD4+ T cells for healthy people. CD4+T cells are white blood cells that play an important role in the body's immune system. These cells are destroyed by HIV. Even when a HIV-positive person feels well and is not experiencing any symptoms of the disease, CD4+ T cells are being infected by HIV.

• CD4+ T cells accounting for less than 14 percent of all lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.

• One of more of the illnesses listed below:
  

  • Candidiasis of bronchi, esophagus, trachea or lungs
  • Cervical cancer that is invasive
  • Coccidioidomycosis that has spread
  • Cryptococcosis that affecting the body outside the lungs
  • Cryptosporidiosis affecting the intestines and lasting more than a month
  • Cytomegalovirus disease outside of the liver, spleen or lymph nodes
  • Cytomegalovirus retinitis that occurs with vision loss
  • Encephalopathy that is HIV-related
  • Herpes simplex including ulcers lasting more than a month or bronchitis, pneumonitis or esophagitis
  • Histoplasmosis that has spread
  • Isosporiasis affecting the intestines and lasting more than a month month
  • Kaposi sarcoma
  • Lymphoma that is Burkitt type, immunoblastic or that is primary and affects the brain or central nervous system
  • Mycobacterium avium complex or disease caused by M kansasii
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis in or outside the lungs
  • Other species of mycobacterium that has spread
  • Pneumocystis jiroveci, formerly called carinii, pneumonia
  • Pneumonia that is recurrent
  • Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
  • Salmonella septicemia that is recurrent
  • Toxoplasmosis of the brain, also called encephalitis
  • Wasting syndrome caused by HIV infection

Symptoms also may include anxiety, dementia, depression and insomnia.

Illnesses that occur in children with AIDS but not in adults include:

• Multiple, recurrent bacterial infections
• Lymphoid interstitial pneumonia or pulmonary lymphoid hyperplasi

See more information on tests for HIV and AIDS.

Treatment

At this time, there is no cure for AIDS, but medications are effective in fighting HIV and its complications. Treatments are designed to reduce HIV in your body, keep your immune system as healthy as possible and decrease the complications you may develop.

You and your doctor will work together to develop a treatment plan that best meets your needs. Three main factors will be considered when designing your treatment plan:

• Your willingness and readiness to begin therapy
• The stage of your disease
• Other health problems

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a number of drugs for treating HIV and AIDS. See our patient education information on AIDS medications and their side effects.

It's important that you take your medications exactly as prescribed. This is a crucial part of your treatment success. Our program offers pharmacy services to help you maintain your drug regimen and to answer any questions you may have.

Most medications have side effects, which your doctor will discuss with you. Individuals respond differently to medications and side effects may vary. Positive Health Practice doctors, nurses and pharmacists can help you manage these side effects.