Human immunodeficiency virus: current trends in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has or will impact each and every one of us; according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there has been 9.8% increase of AIDS in women versus 2.5% in men in 1992, with more women, and specifically, black women infected through sexual contact rather than by intravenous drug use. In this article, the authors review the medical history and tests that should be obtained from all patients with HIV infection or AIDS treated, and the various disease entities and treatments specific to these patients.