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Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

 
Statistics Back to Top
Centers for Disease Control, 2004.

  • The cumulative number of AIDS cases reported to CDC is 944,305.
  • Adult and adolescent AIDS cases total 934,862 with 756,399 cases in males and 178,463 cases in females.
  • Through the same time period, 9,443 AIDS cases were reported in children under age 13.
  • Total deaths of persons reported with AIDS through 2004 are 529,113, including 523,598 adults and adolescents, and 5,515 children under age 13.
World Health Organization, December 2006.
  • An estimated 39.5 million people are living with HIV.
  • Important increases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where there are some indications that infection rates have risen by more than 50% since 2004.
  • In 2006, 2.9 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses.
  • More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981.
  • Young people (under 25 years old) account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide – around 6,000 become infected with HIV every day.
  • There were 4.3 million new infections in 2006.
Signs and Symptoms Back to Top

The following list does not insure the presence of this health condition. Please see the text and your healthcare professional for more information.

Within the first 12 weeks of HIV infection, the patient may develop nonspecific symptoms that may last several weeks

 Fever

 Fatigue

 Swelling of the lymph glands

 Skin rash

 Headache

 Bone, joint, and muscle aches/pains

 Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

 Night sweats
An HIV antibody test may help confirm a diagnosis, ask your healthcare professional about this option
After several years as immune function declines, individuals become vulnerable to infections not common in healthy individuals

In the early stages of HIV infection, as virus levels increase within the body, the infected individual may begin to experience symptoms of infection. Within the first 12 weeks of HIV infection, the patient may develop nonspecific symptoms that are similar to mononucleosis. These may include:
  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Rash
  • Headache
  • Joint and muscle aches
  • Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
  • Night sweats
Symptoms last from several days up to two weeks, but then improve. After the active phase, virus levels in the body may begin to fall and the patient may enter a latency period, during which the individual is symptom-free. Although patients generally feel better during the latency phase, the infection process continues with the eventual destruction of the patient's immune system.

A person infected with HIV may remain free of symptoms and in relatively good health for many years. Nonetheless, the virus continues to reproduce and depress the immune system. Eventually, individuals become vulnerable to infections that healthy individuals can fight off. These infections eventually lead to death. At this time, there is no vaccine or cure for AIDS.

Additional Links Back to Top
  • An Introduction to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

 
About Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
• Introduction
• Statistics
• Signs & Symptoms
Treatment Options

Click to View additional treatment options for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
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This information is educational in context and is not to be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Please consult your licensed health care practitioner before using this or any medical information.