Return

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

  1. Defining condition.
    Any of a list of illnesses that, when occurring in an HIV-infected person, leads to a diagnosis of AIDS, the most serious stage of HIV infection.
    AIDS is also diagnosed if an HIV-infected person has a CD4 count less than 200 cells/mm, whether or not that person has an AIDS-defining condition.
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a list of AIDS-defining conditions in 1993. The 26 conditions include candidiasis, cytomegalovirus disease, Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), mycobacterium avium complex, pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia, recurrent pneumonia, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, pulmonary tuberculosis, invasive cervical cancer, and wasting syndrome.

    Reference: AIDSinfo. Glossary. Internet. Accessed August 7, 2009. Available at http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/glossary/GlossaryDataCenterPage.aspx?fromLetter=A

  2. A disease of the body's immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
    AIDS is characterized by the death of CD4 cells (an important part of the body's immune system), which leaves the body vulnerable to life-threatening conditions, such as infections and cancers.

    See also: HIV / AIDS

    Reference: AIDSinfo. Glossary. Internet. Accessed August 7, 2009. Available at http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/glossary/GlossaryDataCenterPage.aspx?fromLetter=A


For better navigation, we recommend using Firefox