AIDS
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is the condition which develops when infection with HIV (Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus) reduces the ability of the body to resist disease by destroying lymphocytes called CD4 cells. Once the level of CD4 cells drops below a certain point - which may be many years after the infection - there is a risk of the development of diseases affecting the lung (pneumonia, caused by agents such as pneumocystis carnii), the skin (herpes simplex or zoster, blood vessel cancers called kaposi’s sarcomas), the lymph tissue to produce lymphomas - cancers of the lymph nodes - or the digestive system producing diarrhoea. Any infection can occur - with the symptoms being more severe and prolonged than in the patient without AIDS. Particularly patients with HIV/AIDS are at risk of infection by candida, TB, cytomegalovirus or toxoplasmosis, which should be treated where possible. The use of combinations of anti-viral therapies may slow the progression of HIV infection, and the development of AIDS. The use of condoms and the practice of safe sex would reduce its spread.
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