Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and the emergency physician

Aids is a new public health disaster that is unlikely to be resolved quickly. It is manifested by a profound immune deficiency accompanied by the development of KS, PCP, and/or other opportunistic infections. A retrovirus, HTLV-III, is the probable cause of the immunosuppression, and it is transmitted in a manner similar to hepatitis B virus. Groups at highest risk include homosexual men, intravenous drug abusers, Haitians, and hemophiliacs. Therapy is largely experimental, and mortality is high. The emergency physician must be familiar with the signs, symptoms, and early management of AIDS. He should be able to offer guidance on disease prevention to both health care workers and members of high-risk groups. Allocation of major financial resources and intensive investigation are necessary to abort this cruel epidemic that affects primarily younger persons. Such investigation will undoubtedly produce new advances in virology, oncology, and immunology that will benefit medicine and society as a whole.