The June 5, 1981, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) weekly report of disease trends noted an unusual pattern of opportunistic infections in five gay men. The report began …
In the period October 1980-May 1981, 5 young men, all active homosexuals, were treated for biopsy-confirmed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia [a fungal infection of the lungs] at 3 different hospitals in Los Angeles, California. Two of the patients died. All 5 patients had laboratory-confirmed previous or current cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and candida mucosal [yeast] infection.
The report ended with a poignant editorial note:
Pneumocystis pneumonia in the United States is almost exclusively limited to severely immunosuppressed patients. The occurrence of pneumocystosis in these 5 previously healthy individuals without a clinically apparent underlying immunodeficiency is unusual. The fact that these patients were all homosexuals suggests an association between some aspect of a homosexual lifestyle or disease acquired through sexual contact and Pneumocystis pneumonia in the population ….
All the above observations suggest the possibility of a cellular-immune dysfunction related to a common exposure that predisposes individuals to opportunistic infections such as pneumocystosis and candidiasis …
The age of AIDS had begun!
Read more: HIV/AIDS: Introduction — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/cig/dangerous-diseases-epidemics/hiv-aids.html#ixzz1MK85RqzK
In the period October 1980-May 1981, 5 young men, all active homosexuals, were treated for biopsy-confirmed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia [a fungal infection of the lungs] at 3 different hospitals in Los Angeles, California. Two of the patients died. All 5 patients had laboratory-confirmed previous or current cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and candida mucosal [yeast] infection.
The report ended with a poignant editorial note:
Pneumocystis pneumonia in the United States is almost exclusively limited to severely immunosuppressed patients. The occurrence of pneumocystosis in these 5 previously healthy individuals without a clinically apparent underlying immunodeficiency is unusual. The fact that these patients were all homosexuals suggests an association between some aspect of a homosexual lifestyle or disease acquired through sexual contact and Pneumocystis pneumonia in the population ….
All the above observations suggest the possibility of a cellular-immune dysfunction related to a common exposure that predisposes individuals to opportunistic infections such as pneumocystosis and candidiasis …
The age of AIDS had begun!
Read more: HIV/AIDS: Introduction — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/cig/dangerous-diseases-epidemics/hiv-aids.html#ixzz1MK85RqzK
No comments:
Post a Comment