Acquired immunodeficiency disease

Acquired immunodeficiency disease is a syndrome resulting from the acquired deficiency of cellular immunity caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It is characterized by the reduction of helper T-lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and the lymph nodes.

Symptoms

Symptoms of acquired immunodeficiency disease include:

• Generalized lymphadenopathy.
• Fever.
• Weight loss.
• Chronic diarrhea.

Complications

Patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are especially susceptible to:

• Opportunistic infections:
• Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (now commonly referred to as Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia).
  • Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections.
  • Tuberculosis.
  • Candida infections.
  • Cryptococcosis.
• Development of malignant neoplasms:
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
  • Kaposi sarcoma.

Transmission

The human immunodeficiency virus is transmitted through:

• Sexual contact.
• Sharing of contaminated needles.
• Transfusion of contaminated blood.

See Also

• Human immunodeficiency virus
• AIDS
• Opportunistic infections
• Kaposi sarcoma
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma