HIV and AIDS News & Information

Estimates of Prevalence and Incidence
The best current estimates are that between 600,000 and 800,000 Americans are infected with HIV. For a number of years, Public Health Service (PHS) estimates of the number infected ranged between 1 and 1.5 million, about twice as many as the current estimates. Rosenberg used back calculation to estimate 630,000 to 897,000 living [...]

Delirium
Delirium is the clinical manifestation of a CNS metabolic disturbance. Systemic illness, CNS infection or neoplasm, and medications may cause delirium in advanced HIV disease. Hypoxia, dehydration, sepsis, renal failure, hyponatremia, hypercalcemia, and hypoglycemia can cause delirium. Delirium may be caused by HIV encephalopathy, cryptococcal meningitis, neurosyphilis, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, herpes encephalitis, cytomegalovirus encephalitis, disseminated [...]

Wasting syndrome is characterized by weight loss of at least 10% for at least 30 days that is not attributable to a concurrent condition other than HIV infection itself. Weight loss has a negative impact on survival and disease progression in AIDS. The prevalence of wasting has declined significantly since the introduction of protease inhibitors.
Clinical [...]

Hairy leukoplakia is the most common oral lesion (20.4%) in HIV-infected patients. Candidiasis is the next most common lesion (5.8%).
Candidiasis
Oral candidiasis (thrush) often precedes the development of AIDS in HIV-seropositive individuals. The most common form of oral candidiasis is pseudomembranous candidiasis, appearing as white plaques on any oral mucosal surface, which may be as small [...]

The fastest-growing group becoming infected with HIV is women in their childbearing years, and nearly all children with the infection acquire it perinatally. Women account for 15% of total AIDS cases and for 20% of new cases. AIDS now represents the third most common cause of death in young women overall and the leading cause [...]

Acute retroviral syndrome occurs at the time the infection is acquired in 60% to 80% of HIV-infected persons. The illness resembles infectious mononucleosis from infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and acute retroviral syndrome is a consideration in differential diagnosis of heterophil-negative mononucleosis. Risk factors for transmission of HIV include history of a sexually transmitted disease, [...]