| AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV infection. The | | | | Antiretroviral therapy gives more than 5 years of live. |
| criteria of AIDS include HIV infection with fewer than | | | | PCP (Pneumocystis carinii (jiroveci) pneumonia) is a |
| 200 CD4 positive T cells per cubic millimeter of blood | | | | common cause of death in AIDS. |
| (norm is more than 1,000), and two dozens of | | | | Tuberculosis (TB) in AIDS is often multi-drug |
| opportunistic infections, which rarely affect normal | | | | resistant. Tuberculosis in AIDS may affect bone |
| people. Opportunistic means that the infection took | | | | marrow, bone, kidney, bladder, guts, liver, lymph |
| opportunity of the weakened immune system. | | | | nodes, brain and spine. It is also more severe in lungs |
| AIDS-related infections are often very severe and | | | | than usual. |
| caused by unusual bacteria, viruses, fungi, and | | | | Oesophagitis (inflammation of esophagus) is common. |
| parasites. | | | | Chronic diarrhea in HIV infection is caused by |
| Symptoms of AIDS include: | | | | Salmonella, Shigella, Listeria, Campylobacter Escherichia |
| * Weight loss | | | | coli, parasites, which happen in normal people. |
| * Energy loss | | | | Cryptosporidiosis, Microsporidiosis, Mycobacterium |
| * Diarrhea | | | | avium complex and cytomegalovirus are rarely if ever |
| * Persistent fever | | | | seen in healthy people. However they are common in |
| * Cough | | | | HIV. Diarrhea also explains significant body wasting in |
| * Shortness of breath | | | | AIDS. Neural system is often affected by parasite |
| * Seizures | | | | Toxoplasma gondii. It infects brain, eyes and lungs. |
| * Painful swallowing | | | | JC virus causes progressive multifocal |
| * Confusion | | | | leukoencephalopathy that leads to destruction of |
| * Forgetfulness | | | | brain cell connections. It happens only in severely |
| * Vision problems | | | | weakened immune deficiency. HIV Infected brain |
| * Persistent headaches | | | | macrophages produce neurotoxins that lead to |
| * Children have severe forms of typically childhood | | | | dementia and encephalopathy. |
| infections of eyes, ears and throat. | | | | Cryptococcus is an opportunistic parasite that causes |
| AIDS patients often develop Kaposi's sarcoma (round | | | | meningitis (inflammation of brain covering tissue). |
| brown, reddish, or purple blots on skin) and cervical | | | | Fevers, headache, fatigue, vomiting, seizures and |
| cancer (in women).Lymphoma is also a common | | | | confusion often develop. |
| condition. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus, | | | | Citomegalovirus may cause colitis (bowel |
| human papillomavirus and Epstein -Barr virus are the | | | | inflammation) and retinitis (an eye layer inflammation) |
| causative agents. Without antiretroviral therapy, AIDS | | | | that leads to blindness. Penicillium fungi also cause |
| patent die in a year commonly. | | | | opportunistic infections especially in Asia. |