AIDS

[eydz]

noun

Pathology.

1. acquired immune deficiency syndome: a disease of the immune system characterized by increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections, as pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and candidiasis, to certain cancers, as Kaposi's sarcoma, and to neurological disorders: caused by a retrovirus and transmitted chiefly through blood or blood products that enter the body's bloodstream, especially by sexual contact or contaminated hypodermic needles.

AIDS

/ eɪdz /

acronym

1. acquired immune (or immuno-)deficiency syndrome: a condition, caused by a virus, in which certain white blood cells (lymphocytes) are destroyed, resulting in loss of the body's ability to protect itself against disease. AIDS is transmitted by sexual intercourse, through infected blood and blood products, and through the placenta

AIDS

1. Short for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. An infectious disease of the immune system caused by an human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS is characterized by a decrease in the number of helper T cells, which causes a severe immunodeficiency that leaves the body susceptible to a variety of potentially fatal infections. The virus is transmitted in infected bodily fluids such as semen and blood, as through sexual intercourse, the use of contaminated hypodermic syringes, and placental transfer between mother and fetus. Although a cure or vaccine is not yet available, a number of antiviral drugs can decrease the viral load and subsequent infections in patients with AIDS.

AIDS

1. Acronym for a cquired i mmune d eficiency s yndrome, a fatal disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. Believed to have originated in Africa, AIDS has become an epidemic, infecting tens of millions of people worldwide. The virus, which is transmitted from one individual to another through the exchange of body fluids (such as blood or semen), attacks white blood cells, thereby causing the body to lose its capacity to ward off infection. As a result, many AIDS patients die of opportunistic infections that strike their debilitated bodies. AIDS first appeared in the United States in 1981, primarily among homosexuals and intravenous drug users who shared needles, but throughout the world, it is also transmitted by heterosexual contact. Today, scientists are hopeful that AIDS can be managed by new drugs, such as protease inhibitors, and need not be fatal. (See AZT.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of AIDS¹

First recorded in 1982; a(cquired) i(mmune) d(eficiency) s(yndrome)

Example Sentences

The charity will auction the unique piece in the coming months, continuing Mercury's mission to support those affected by HIV and AIDS.

Read more on BBC

The US plans to expand the rollout of the drug Lenacapavir by working with an international group, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as the Gilead Sciences pharmaceutical company.

Read more on Barron's

The research is based off data on how aid in the past has reduced deaths, especially in preventable areas such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

Read more on Barron's

In the show, curated by Kyle Croft, executive director of Visual AIDS, an arts organization that raises awareness and assists artists living with HIV/AIDS, we see how quickly she took to the medium.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The probe, whose findings are due in a month, will investigate spending related to $1.8 billion from the Global Fund, a consortium dedicated to fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• acquired immune deficiency syndrome 
• sexually transmitted disease 
• virus