acquired immune deficiency syndrome

acquired immune deficiency syndrome

n.

See AIDS.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

acquired immune deficiency syndrome

A disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and transmitted by sexual contact or by blood spread on infected needles and other implements. AIDS is not a specifically homosexual disorder. Rather it is a disease of sexually promiscuous populations that harbour large numbers of HIV. The virus attacks a particular group of white cells of the immune system (helper T lymphocytes) causing a severe reduction in the ability of the body to resist infection and certain forms of cancer. The resulting recurrent infections, often with organisms not normally causing disease (opportunistic infectors), can usually be treated, but, to date, no wholly effective treatment for the underlying HIV infection has been developed. Combinations of drugs, including protease inhibitors, reverse transcriptase inhibitors, fusion inhibitors and DNA polymerase inhibitors, can, however, greatly prolong life and have virtually converted AIDS from an inevitably fatal, to a potentially serious chronic disease. The condition may involve many different disorders including a form of pneumonia caused by Pneumocystis carinii , CYTOMEGALOVIRUS infections, widespread herpes simplex infections, widespread thrush (CANDIDIASIS), KAPOSI'S SARCOMA and other malignancies, and brain damage from direct infection of neurons by HIV. The presence of the AIDS virus can be detected by the ELISA and other tests.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

see AIDS.

Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005

Patient discussion about acquired immune deficiency syndrome

Q. Why AID spred? and How?

A. if you mean AIDS- it spread mostly because people don't practice safe sex or sharing needles when injecting drugs. here is a nice tutorial about HIV, it is also specify the ways of infection-
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/aids/htm/lesson.htm

Q. The HIV test came back POSITIVE! My very close friend 'Demonte'. One day in December as he was returning from a business trip, his wife met him at the airport with terrible news. During a routine pregnancy check up, her doctor had administered an HIV test along with other blood-work. The HIV test came back POSITIVE! The doctor wanted to begin administering drugs immediately but the cost of these drugs here when compared to their family income was prohibitive. I helped him with some of my savings. He already sold his favorite sentimental car to save his precious wife. Now i want to know is there any NATURAL medicine to cure this? Hope it costs less and available.

A. there are no effective natural remedy for HIV. the medications are very hard ones that try to control the virus from spreading (cannot eliminate it though). no herbal remedy or nutrition change will do that.

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