GENERAL APPROACH TO THE HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS-INFECTED PATIENT

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1990. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

GENERAL APPROACH TO THE HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS-INFECTED PATIENT

Infect Dis Ther; 3:85-101 1989. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/90665440
Clement M; Dept. of Inpatient AIDS Services, San Francisco General Hospital,; San Francisco, CA

Abstract: Virtually no organ system is left untouched by HIV infection. Patients (pts) infected with HIV may be symptomatic as a direct result of the retrovirus (eg, HIV encephalopathy) or from secondary opportunistic infections (eg, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia) or malignancies (eg, Kaposi's sarcoma). The complex clinical presentations possible in pts with AIDS are reviewed under the following headings: clinical evaluation of pts with suspected symptoms of HIV infection (history, review of systems, physical examination), laboratory examination (hematology, serology, chemistry), and specific clinical presentations of pts infected with HIV (fever, lymphadenopathy, diarrhea, perirectal pain, dysphagia, cutaneous processes, dyspnea, blindness). An algorithm is presented for the treatment of a febrile neutropenic pt with AIDS. The diverse clinical presentations and diagnostic possibilities found in the pt infected with HIV warrant a thorough history and physical examination. Specific clinical scenarios then direct the laboratory evaluation. (51 Refs)

Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/DIAGNOSIS AIDS Dementia Complex/DIAGNOSIS AIDS Serodiagnosis AIDS-Related Complex/DIAGNOSIS Diagnosis, Differential Human HIV Infections/COMPLICATIONS/*DIAGNOSIS HIV Seropositivity/DIAGNOSIS Infectious Mononucleosis/DIAGNOSIS Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's/DIAGNOSIS Opportunistic Infections/COMPLICATIONS/DIAGNOSIS Risk Factors Sarcoma, Kaposi's/DIAGNOSIS Skin Neoplasms/DIAGNOSIS JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW, TUTORIAL REVIEW
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