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Health and Medicine - What Are The Symptoms And Signs Of Aids?
What are the symptoms and signs of AIDS?
AIDS, which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is caused when a person becomes infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV seriously weakens the victim's immune system, leaving the body unequipped to fight off a wide range of illnesses.
Once the body is infected with HIV, it takes a long time for full-blown AIDS to develop. The precursor to AIDS is called AIDS-related complex, or ARC. Symptoms of ARC include night sweats, prolonged fevers, severe weight loss, persistent diarrhea, skin rash, persistent cough, and shortness of breath.
Once the disease has progressed from ARC to AIDS, the patient becomes susceptible to a range of opportunistic infections (infections that take advantage of the body's weakened immune system) and unusual cancers. Examples of infections which may be contracted by a person with AIDS include herpes viruses; Candida...
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