HIV Clinical Resource Area - Disease Overview

The AIDS patient who experiences multiple opportunistic infections has a poor prognostic indicator at time of AIDS related lymphoma diagnosis. In addition patients who present with the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) to the CSF experience a poor prognosis. The presence of this at diagnosis is an indicator of advanced disease state.

Patients with HIV/AIDS often experience the presenting symptoms of lymphoma with their disease. Therefore it is the watchful and attentive practitioner who successfully diagnosis these patients. Most patients will present to the oncology setting with advanced disease and a poor prognosis. AIDS patients will present at diagnosis with a CD4 count at or near 50. Multiple treatment regimens and routines are currently under study to improve prognosis and treatment options for the AIDS patient.