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In 1982, the Centers for Disease Control established a list of diagnostic criteria for the then novel disease known as AIDS. The diagnostic criteria have evolved as more knowledge has accumulated and a greater range of AIDS cases have been observed. Among the changes is the inclusion of extrapulmonary tuberculosis as a diagnostic criterion. In a study conducted in Catalonia, investigators determined the effect that the inclusion of tuberculosis outside the lungs as an AIDS criterion has on the calculated incidence and prevalence of AIDS. They found that the overall prevalence of AIDS is 30 percent higher when this criterion is included in the definition of AIDS. Moreover, the incidence of AIDS is 60 percent higher by this same criterion. In Catalonia, the identification of extrapulmonary tuberculosis among intravenous drug users accounts for the majority of newly diagnosed cases of AIDS. The authors also suggest that the inclusion of extrapulmonary tuberculosis as a diagnostic criterion is likely to, in the long run, increase the calculated survival time of patients with AIDS. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)