The spectrum of HIV infection: what happens clinically.
When a person contracts HIV, the initial acute infection is followed by a prolonged asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic period; lab values may be completely normal. By the time AIDS is diagnosed, the cell-mediated immune system is irreversibly damaged; virtually all patients die within 5 years. The pace of progression of HIV disease varies widely among patients and is therefore difficult to predict for any one individual.
Spechko
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D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans