What infections do people with AIDS get?
People with AIDS are extremely vulnerable to infection, called AIDS defining illnesses, and often exhibit the following conditions: • Kaposi’s sarcoma, a skin tumor that looks like dark purple blotches • Mental changes and headaches due to fungal infections or tumors in the brain and spinal cord. • Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing due to infections of the lungs • Dementia • Severe malnutrition • Chronic diarrhea How is AIDS diagnosed? If a person with HIV infection has a CD4 count that drops below 200 — or if certain infections appear (AIDS defining illnesses) — that person is considered to have AIDS. How is HIV treated? We’ve come along way from the days when diagnosis with HIV equaled a death sentence. Today, there are a variety of treatments that, when used in combination can significantly slow down and in some cases stop altogether, the progression of HIV infection. After HIV infection is confirmed, your doctor will start you on a drug regimen consisting of several dr
