| Dental Dictionary: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome |
n
AIDS
A disease caused by a retrovirus known as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). A related but distinct retrovirus (HIV-2) has recently appeared in a limited number of patients in the United States. Patients are considered to have AIDS when one or more indicator diseases, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), are present. The CDC has classified stages of the disease as follows:
