Biomaterial Database

AIDS. Natural history and prognosis. 1990

R R Viscarello

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.

Infection with HIV results in a chronic, persistent infection that usually progresses slowly from an asymptomatic state to full-blown AIDS. AIDS remains a lethal disease with no effective cure. A great deal of information has been learned in the past decade, yet many questions remain unresolved. Much more research is needed into the conditions surrounding the perinatal transmission of HIV. Many women who give birth to a child with AIDS are themselves asymptomatic for HIV infection during pregnancy and at delivery; thus, routine voluntary prenatal HIV screening programs must be instituted in areas of high seroprevalence. Such screening programs must provide pretest and post-test counseling with consent and confidentiality. Seroprevalence studies conducted during the perinatal period or at birth using newborn blood samples will provide important epidemiologic data for further research investigations as well as continued estimates of the prevalence of HIV infection. Currently, there is no formal reporting system for HIV infection, only for the clinical expression of AIDS. There may be a need to develop a centralized reporting unit for HIV infection. As the epidemic continues and the true prevalence rates are determined, additional resources for public health care, housing, insurance, and foster care for children will be needed. The number of women who are infected is increasing at an alarming rate. Every opportunity to increase public awareness about the AIDS epidemic and modes of transmission must be exploited if we are to impact on the spread of HIV infection. Prospective studies of pregnant HIV-positive women and pediatric follow-up can provide a wealth of data about AIDS and disease progression in both the mother and the infant. Even if some children do not develop AIDS, the possibility of permanent effects of in utero exposure to the virus still exists. At what exact point in gestation does infection occur? Can infection be prevented or delayed with current chemotherapeutic protocols? Even if a cure or vaccine is developed in the near future, the impact of this deadly virus will have repercussions for many years to come.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D008297	Male		Males
D011247	Pregnancy	The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH.	Gestation,Pregnancies
D011248	Pregnancy Complications	Conditions or pathological processes associated with pregnancy. They can occur during or after pregnancy, and range from minor discomforts to serious diseases that require medical interventions. They include diseases in pregnant females, and pregnancies in females with diseases.	Adverse Birth Outcomes,Complications, Pregnancy,Adverse Birth Outcome,Birth Outcome, Adverse,Complication, Pregnancy,Outcome, Adverse Birth,Pregnancy Complication
D011379	Prognosis	A prediction of the probable outcome of a disease based on a individual's condition and the usual course of the disease as seen in similar situations.	Prognostic Factor,Prognostic Factors,Factor, Prognostic,Factors, Prognostic,Prognoses
D005260	Female		Females
D006467	Hemophilia A	The classic hemophilia resulting from a deficiency of factor VIII. It is an inherited disorder of blood coagulation characterized by a permanent tendency to hemorrhage.	Factor VIII Deficiency,Hemophilia,Autosomal Hemophilia A,Classic Hemophilia,Deficiency, Factor VIII,Factor 8 Deficiency, Congenital,Factor VIII Deficiency, Congenital,Haemophilia,Hemophilia A, Congenital,Hemophilia, Classic,As, Autosomal Hemophilia,Autosomal Hemophilia As,Classic Hemophilias,Congenital Hemophilia A,Congenital Hemophilia As,Hemophilia A, Autosomal,Hemophilia As,Hemophilia As, Autosomal,Hemophilia As, Congenital,Hemophilias, Classic
D006716	Homosexuality	The sexual attraction or relationship between members of the same SEX.	Homosexuality, Ego-Dystonic,Ego-Dystonic Homosexuality,Homosexuality, Ego Dystonic
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000163	Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome	An acquired defect of cellular immunity associated with infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a CD4-positive T-lymphocyte count under 200 cells/microliter or less than 14% of total lymphocytes, and increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections and malignant neoplasms. Clinical manifestations also include emaciation (wasting) and dementia. These elements reflect criteria for AIDS as defined by the CDC in 1993.	AIDS,Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Acquired,Immunologic Deficiency Syndrome, Acquired,Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome,Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome,Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome,Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndromes,Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndromes,Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome, Acquired,Immuno-Deficiency Syndromes, Acquired,Immunodeficiency Syndromes, Acquired,Syndrome, Acquired Immuno-Deficiency,Syndrome, Acquired Immunodeficiency,Syndromes, Acquired Immuno-Deficiency,Syndromes, Acquired Immunodeficiency