A comprehensive guide to the diagnosis and clinical management of HIV infection and AIDS in Africa. Addressed to hospital-based physicians, the manual includes abundant practical information and advice that is specific to both the distinctive clinical presentation of HIV infection in Africa and the reality of conditions where drugs, resources, and laboratory facilities are limited. Distinctive clinical features, as seen in African patients, are illustrated in 37 colour plates. The book opens with a summary of what is known about the etiology and pathogenesis of HIV infection, including information on the structure and properties of the virus, characteristic and consistently observed immunological abnormalities, and the natural history of infection. The second chapter, devoted to epidemiology, explains the patterns of transmission and risk factors documented in Africa and gives figures indicating incidence and prevalence in different groups and areas. Against this background, clinical chapters describe each of the main signs and symptoms of HIV infection in detail and discuss the most commonly seen opportunistic infections and tumours. Other chapters offer guidance in the diagnosis of HIV infection and AIDS and the management of patients. Throughout, an effort is made to facilitate clinical decisions based on signs and symptoms rather than on the results of sophisticated laboratory investigations. Advice on treatment includes the examinations to be performed according to specific signs and symptoms, first-choice and alternative drugs, recommended doses, duration of treatment, and response rates. The concluding chapters outline what physicians should know about counselling, psychological support, and measures for prevention and control.

eng fre por.

WHODOC

WHO monograph

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