AIDS awareness in the conduct of radiologic procedures: guidelines to safe practice

The epidemic of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has affected all geographic regions of the United States. Indeed, it is likely that a majority of U.S. hospitals have cared for patients who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. More than 46,000 individuals with HIV infection have fulfilled the strict diagnostic criteria for AIDS (1). All of these patients with AIDS have been seriously ill and have been hospitalized, often multiple times and for prolonged periods. Another, larger group patients with HIV infection has had another form of the disease, the so-called AIDS-related complex. Many of these patients have also spent time in hospitals. An even larger group of individuals has been infected with HIV but has remained asymptomatic to date. Some of these persons have been admitted to hospitals or have received outpatient diagnostic procedures for intercurrent medical or dental complaints that were unrelated to their asymptomatic HIV infection. At the time of their medical evaluation, some of these asymptomatic individuals were known to have a positive HIV antibody test. It is likely, however, that the serologic status of the majority of asymptomatically infected patients was unknown. Thus, by now a very large number of health-care personnel in the United States, including diagnostic radiology staff, have assisted in the care of HIV-infected patients.