1981 — HIV AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) –234

–234 Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. “A Brief Timeline of AIDS.” Covering the Epidemic:
— 0 CDC WONDER search, 7-5-2021, ICD-9 code 042 (human immunodeficiency virus infection)

Narrative Information

CDC: “HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS if not treated. Unlike some other viruses, the human body can’t get rid of HIV completely, even with treatment. So once you get HIV, you have it for life. HIV attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (T cells), which help the immune system fight off infections. Untreated, HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells (T cells) in the body, making the person more likely to get other infections or infection-related cancers. Over time, HIV can destroy so many of these cells that the body can’t fight off infections and disease. These opportunistic infections or cancers take advantage of a very weak immune system and signal that the person has AIDS, the last stage of HIV infection.

“No effective cure currently exists, but with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. The medicine used to treat HIV is called antiretroviral therapy or ART. If people with HIV take ART as prescribed, their viral load (amount of HIV in their blood) can become undetectable. If it stays undetectable, they can live long, healthy lives and have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner through sex. Before the introduction of ART in the mid-1990s, people with HIV could progress to AIDS in just a few years. Today, someone diagnosed with HIV and treated before the disease is far advanced can live nearly as long as someone who does not have HIV.” (CDC. About HIC/AIDS. 12-2-2019.)

Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. “A Brief Timeline of AIDS.” Covering the Epidemic:
“1981

“On June 5th, the CDC reports that in the period October 1980-May 1981, 5 young men, all active homosexuals, were treated for biopsy-confirmed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia at 3 different hospitals in Los Angeles, California. Two of the patients died. All 5 patients had laboratory-confirmed previous or current cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and candidal mucosal infection.

“On July 4th, the CDC reports that during the past 30 months, 26 cases of Kaposi Sarcoma have been reported among Gay males, and that eight have died, all within 24-months of diagnosis.

“Number of known deaths in US during 1981 — 234.”

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About HIC/AIDS. 12-2-2019. Accessed 3-31-2020 at: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/whatishiv.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998. CDC WONDER On-line Database, compiled from Compressed Mortality File CMF 1968-1988, Series 20, No. 2A, 2000 and CMF 1989-1998, Series 20, No. 2E, 2003. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/cmf-icd9.html on Jul 5, 2021 8:29:47 PM

Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. “A Brief Timeline of AIDS.” Covering the Epidemic (website). Accessed 7-5-2021 at: https://www.factlv.org/timeline.htm