Opportunistic Infections and Other Complications of AIDS
Perinatal Transmission
Clinical Trials Research
Global Trends in the AIDS Epidemic
HIV
AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). First reported in 1981 in the United States, AIDS has become a major worldwide epidemic. By killing or impairing cells of the immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. Individuals diagnosed with AIDS are susceptible to life-threatening diseases called opportunistic infections, which are caused by microbes that usually do not cause illness in healthy people.
Opportunistic Infections and Other Complications of AIDS
Opportunistic infections (OIs) are diseases that affect people with impaired immune systems that can no longer protect against infection. These diseases are caused by a wide range of microorganisms, including protozoa, viruses, fungi, and bacteria. Many of these organisms are pervasive in the environment but do not cause disease until host immunity declines; their occurrence often marks the progression from early to advanced HIV disease (AIDS).AIDS-defining opportunistic infections can be very severe, causing significant morbidity and death in people with HIV. However, use of highly active antiretroviral therapy and effective prophylaxis and treatments for OIs can significantly impact the incidence of these complications.
Perinatal Transmission
Worldwide, approximately 1,800 HIV-infected infants are born each day, primarily from their mothers before or during birth, after birth as a result of breast-feeding. In 1994, NIAID-funded investigators demonstrated that a specific regimen of AZT given to the mother and the newborn could reduce maternal transmission of HIV by two-thirds. In the United States, approximately 25 percent of pregnant HIV infected women who do not receive AZT therapy pass the virus on their babies and in developing countries, where there is no access to this regimen, the rate is much higher. Because cost and logistical issues prevent the global use of this prophylatic AZT regimen, NIAID researchers are trying to identify simpler, less expensive ways of preventing mother to infant transmission of HIV.
- Fact Sheets
- Prophylaxis and Treatment Guidelines
- UNAIDS Report: Prevention of HIV Transmission from Mother to Child. Strategic Options (August 1999)
- Women, Children, and HIV
Clinical Trials Research
A clinical trial is a method of testing different medications, treatments, and products to determine which ones are safe and effective. There is a difference between being treated by a health care professional and being in a clinical trial. The primary goal of a health care provider is to help the patient stay healthy. While a study participant's health is an essential part of a clinical trial, the primary goal is to find out which treatments work for the most people. People must volunteer to participate in a clinical trial and must understand the risks and benefits in taking part in the study. This process of informed consent is based on complete information about the study, including a description of any potential risks and the possible benefits. Volunteers may choose to leave a study at any time.
Global Trends in the AIDS Epidemic
In the United States, more than 688,000 cases of AIDS have been reported since 1981 and the rate of new infections remains at an unacceptably high level of 40,000 per year. Half of all newly infected individuals are people under 25 and minority populations are disproportionately affected. Worldwide, approximately 1 in every 100 adults aged 15 to 49 is infected with HIV. There were an estimated 5.6 million new HIV infections worldwide in 1999 or approximately 15,000 infections daily. More than 95% of these new infections were in developing countries. By the year 2000, an estimated 40 million people will be infected with HIV worldwide.
