Ailments and Situations - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS - Symptoms and Signs

The following is the definition for AIDS adopted in the United States in 1993:

1. A positive test for Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection

2(a) A CD4+ T cell number of less than 200/mm³ of whole blood (normal CD4+ T cell numbers are 750 ± 250/mm³ of whole blood)

OR

2(b) A CD4+ T cell number of less than or equal to 200/mm³ of whole blood and at least one of a fungal disease, bacterial disease, viral disease, malignant disease, or recurrent pneumonia due to any agent.

An early manifestation of AIDS is called AIDS-related complex (ARC). This occurs in people who have not yet developed deficient immune function. Symptoms include fever, generalized lymphadenopathy, diarrhea, and weight loss.

Symptoms and signs experienced with AIDS are summarized in the various opportunistic infections and cancers listed under What to Expect, below.