AIDS

AIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is the most advanced stage of HIV infection. HIV attacks the body's CD4 immune cells, and under U.S. guidelines a person with HIV is diagnosed with AIDS when their CD4 count falls below 200 cells per cubic millimeter or they develop certain opportunistic infections or cancers. Left untreated, HIV can progress to AIDS over a period that ranges from a few months to more than ten years. With modern antiretroviral therapy, most people living with HIV never develop AIDS and can expect long, healthy lives. The epidemic that began in the early 1980s profoundly shaped LGBTQ+ history, driving grassroots activism, community caregiving, and lasting changes in public health policy.