Current management of AIDS and related opportunistic infections.

Significant changes in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemiology and AIDS treatment strategies have emerged in the 17 years since the first case of this disease was reported. In the United States, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is now primarily acquired through heterosexual relationships and intravenous drug use. As a result, dramatic increases in the number of AIDS cases in the female, African American, and Hispanic populations are evident. Treatment strategies now focus on maximal viral suppression and preventing drug resistance. Advances in anti-retroviral therapy and chemoprophylaxis of opportunistic infections have increased the long-term survival of AIDS patients by 10 to 20 years. However, despite abundant research and advances in medical care, AIDS continues to be a devastating epidemic worldwide.