Opportunistic infections in HIV+ patients generally result after the disease has progressed to AIDS (generally defined as a T-cell count lower than 200 parts per millileter). Some infections can occur in individuals who do not yet have AIDS, and new drug therapies are decreasing the incidence of many infections. Nevertheless, avoiding opportunistic infections when possible and treating them promptly when they occur can have a significant positive impact on overall health.

• Infections Linked to AIDS: How to Help Yourself

An overview document by the National Institutes of Health. Learn to identify some of the common opportunistic infections in HIV+ people by recognizing early symptoms and getting prompt medical treatment.

• HIV-Related TB: How to Help Yourself

Tuberculosis is a serious disease that has experienced a recent resurgence in HIV+ people. This overview brochure talks about some of the symptoms of TB and how it is successfully treated.

• CDC Opportunistic Infection brochures

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brochures on prevention of common opportunistic infections, including Cryptosporidium, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Toxoplasmosis.

Current therapies that are successfully lowering viral load in patients and restoring their immune function often have difficult side effects. Unfortunately, government sites do not yet contain information about these effects of therapy. The sites below are good starting points for information about what you might expect while taking protease inhibitors. For further information, check the links on the News and Updates page often.

• Continuing Medical Education (CME) Report on Lipid Abnormalities in patients taking protease inhibitors.

  A Medscape summary of a symposium concerning fat metabolism changes, a common side effect of protease inhibitor therapy. Although definitive studies are underway and results have not yet been reported, it is believed that these side effects can lead to more serious conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular difficulties, and even death.

• Wasting, Metabolism, and Lipidystrophy - A report from AIDS Treatment Update (UK).

  This article summarizes a workshop from the 12th International Conference on AIDS in Geneva concerning these possible side effects of protease inhibitors. Topics covered include risk factors for developing these side effects, possible treatments, and other risks, such as diabetes, from the primary effects of the drugs.

• Drug Side Effects, an article from San Francisco AIDS Foundation's Positive News.

  An excellent article, summarizing the different side effects common to all different types of anti-HIV/AIDS drugs. Each possible type of side effect (skin, neurological, blood sugar, etc.) is analyzed, with a brief discussion of how they may be managed.