DYING OF AIDS

OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS

Because AIDS destroys the immune system (see card 58), people with AIDS often die of opportunistic infections (Ols). The CDC (see card 92) recognizes about two dozen Ols, among them:

PNEUMOCYSTIS CARINII PNEUMONIA (PCP), a fungal infection of the lungs. PCP accounts for almost half of AIDS-related deaths.

KAPOSI'S SARCOMA (KS), a cancerous condition, shown on the reverse of this card. Prior to the AIDS epidemic, KS was found most often in older men and was rarely fatal. In the U.S. about 95% of AIDS patients with KS are gay and bisexual men. Usually first seen as small purplish blotches on the skin, it can spread internally.

CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV), a common viral infection. About half the population has had CMV at some time, with the infection rate among gays almost 90%. CMV is usually asymptomatic or marked by mild flu-like reactions. Among people with AIDS, it can fatally affect any part of the body, including the lungs, liver and heart. CMV retinitis is a blindness caused by CMV in the eyes.

TOXOPLASMOSIS (toxo), caused by a protozoic parasite found in soil or cat feces. Most people have been exposed to toxo and many carry it in an inactive form. Among those with AIDS, it can affect the heart, lungs, and brain, resulting in fever, seizures, and death.

INVASIVE CERVICAL CANCER, a disease of women possibly caused by a virus. It can be rapidly lethal to women with AIDS.

TUBERCULOSIS (TB), a bacterial disease of the lungs, bones, and organs. If left untreated, TB of the lungs can be deadly to anyone, but it is more rapidly so for people with AIDS, and is most commonly found among those who got AIDS through IV drug use. Next Card 73: TRANSMISSION MYTHS About AIDS

DYING OF AIDS