HIV glossary

HIV glossary

AIDS: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome is characterized by the death of CD4 cells, which leave the body vulnerable to infections. People living with AIDS often have infections of the lungs, brain, eyes and other organs. They frequently suffer debilitating weight loss and a type of cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma (see below).

AIDS wasting syndrome: Involuntary loss of 10 percent of baseline body weight plus either chronic diarrhea or chronic weakness and fever.

AZT: Azidothymidine, approved by the FDA in 1987, is used in combination with other anti-HIV drugs for the treatment of HIV.

CD4 cell count: Measurement of certain T cells in the bloodstream. A normal CD4 count is between 500 and 1,600. A CD4 count of less than 200 and often the presence of opportunistic infections are qualifiers for an AIDS diagnosis.

HIV: The human immunodeficiency virus attacks T-cells and uses those cells to make copies of itself. As more copies are made, the amount of HIV in the blood increases, further weakening the immune system.

Kaposi’s sarcoma: An AIDS-defining illness consisting of individual cancerous lesions caused by an overgrowth of blood vessels. It can also occur internally, especially in the intestines, lymph nodes and lungs, and in this case is life-threatening.

latency: The time period in which an infectious organism in the body is not producing symptoms. With HIV, latency usually occurs in the early years of infection.

lipodystrophy: A disturbance in the way the body produces, uses, and distributes fat. Also referred to as "buffalo hump," "protease paunch," or "Crixivan potbelly." Symptoms include the loss of the thin layer of fat under the skin, making veins seem to protrude; wasting of the face and limbs; and the accumulation of fat on the abdomen or between the shoulder blades.

T cells: Disease-fighting white blood cells. T cells include CD4 cells and CD8 cells, both critical to the body’s immune system.

viral burden: The amount of HIV in the blood. Monitoring a person’s viral burden is important because of the apparent correlation between the amount of virus in the blood and the severity of the disease: Sicker patients generally have more of the virus.

window period: The period, usually three to six months, when HIV cannot be detected in an infected person.

Sources: U.S. government, thebody.com