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- Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; a cluster of disorders such as Kaposi’s
Sarcoma (KS) and opportunistic infections to which the subject is abnormally
vulnerable because of collapse of the immune defense system. The cause is a
retrovirus, human T-lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) or HIV (human
immunodeficiency virus) which infects and suppresses the T4 lymphocyte, the
focal cell of the immune system. It also directly attacks specific types of
cells in the central nervous system (CNS) and lungs (and perhaps other tissues
as well). There is no known cure, and the mortality rate is high. Over 40% of
AIDS patients develop neurologic complications at some point in their illness.
The most common CNS dysfunction is a generalized encephalopathy or progressive
multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) that includes dementia as a dominant
feature. Less commonly, the dysfunction is due to well-defined focal lesions,
including opportunistic infection by Toxoplasma gondii, which may invade nervous
tissue and give rise to seizures or more subtle alterations in mentation and
behavior. Cases with a presenting picture of acute psychosis without dementia
have also been described. Myelopathy and peripheral neuropathy are other
neurologic complications.
- A fatal disease transmitted by transfer of the human immunodeficiency
virus, usually during sexual relations or by using needles previously infected
by an HIV-positive person; it compromises the person's immune system to such a
degree that he or she ultimately dies from cancer or one of any number of
infections.
Source: Davidson, Gerald C. and John M. Neale. 1994.
Abnormal Psychology, 6th Edition. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons
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