The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first identified in the United States in 1981. By April 1, 1987, a total of 45,608 cases had been reported to the World Health Organization Global Control Program on AIDS, with patients in the Americas accounting for 80% of all reported cases [1]. A concentrated research effort has identified the etiologic agent of this infection as a retrovirus, which has most recently been termed HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) [2]. The rapid emergence and spread of this disease represents an epidemic of major proportions. It is certainly apparent that with the protean manifestations of AIDS and the AIDS-related conditions, it behooves physicians in all disciplines of medicine to have a working knowledge of the etiology, clinical manifestations, natural history, and management of this newly described infectious disease.