The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first recognized AIDS in 1981, when five men developed the Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, according to Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institutes of Health, in "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine." HIV, or the human immunodeficiency virus, causes AIDS. The virus destroys the CD4+ white blood cells, and when enough of these cells have been destroyed, people develop AIDS and are subsequently susceptible to several lung diseases.
Bronchitis and Sinusitis
People with AIDS are especially susceptible to contracting bronchitis and sinusitis, or the inflammation of the bronchi airways and the sinuses. These types of infections are usually caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae bacteria. The Mucor fungus can also cause a sinus infection if the human immunodeficiency virus has destroyed enough CD4+ white blood cells, as explained in "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine." Those with bronchitis may cough and wheeze, while people with sinusitis have a stuffy nose, fever and headache.
Pneumocystis Jiroveci Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. The Pneumocystis jiroveci fungus, once called Pneumocystis carinii, is the most common cause of pneumonia in people with AIDS. The fungus is everywhere but only causes disease in those with an impaired immune system, and has a mortality rate of 15 to 20 percent, writes John Bartlett, M.D., professor of medicine at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, in "The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals." The symptoms include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, a rapid heartbeat and sharp chest pains which are worse when breathing in deeply.
Bacterial Lung Disease
Dr. Fauci writes in "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine" that the Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae bacteria cause most of the bacterial pneumonia infections in those with AIDS. A Streptococcus pneumoniae infection can even be one of the first serious infections that an AIDS sufferer has, whether the bacteria is causing an infection in the bloodstream, causing sinusitis or pneumonia. Due to the high risk of S. pneumoniae infections, physicians recommend that people with AIDS have the pneumococcal vaccine. Bacteria called Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare and Rhodococcus equi also cause lung infections.
Fungal Lung Disease
In addition to the Pneumocystis jiroveci fungus causing lung disease in people with AIDS, Cryptococcus neoformans, Coccidioides immitis, Histoplasma capsulatum and Aspergillus fungi do so as well. Cryptococcus causes a severe pneumonia, while Coccidioides spreads throughout the lungs and invades other organs. The Histoplasma and Aspergillus fungi also cause a severe lung infection and can spread to other organs in the body, as explained by Alan Sugar, M.D., emeritus professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, in the "The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals."
Tuberculosis
Physicians thought that tuberculosis was a conquered disease in the U.S., but then the number of tuberculosis cases increased as the number of AIDS cases increased. Approximately 5 percent of the people who have AIDS have tuberculosis, and HIV increases the risk of developing this lung disease 100 times, according to Dr. Fauci in "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine." If they have a low number of CD4+ white blood cells, tuberculosis spreads outside of the lungs. Those who do not get treatment for the tuberculosis infection will find their HIV infection progresses faster.
References
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine"; Anthony Fauci, M.D., Dennis Kasper, M.D., Dan Longo, M.D. et al.; 2008
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Coccidioidomycosis
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Cryptococcosis
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Histoplasmosis
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Pneumonia in Immunocompromised Patients
