The acquired immunoficiency syndrome gay men - PubMed

gay related immunodeficiency disorder

HIV and the syndrome , AIDS, began spreadg the Uned Stat the early 1980s. By the late 1980s had bee a public health crisis. Inially the U.S. ernment did ltle to addrs the epimic, due part to misnceptns that the disease only affected gay men. Activists me together to mand a rponse om the ernment and the ternatnal muny. By the mid-1990s, HIV/AIDS numbers were on the cle Ameri. Today, lns of people around the world are livg wh HIV and tens of thoands of people die of AIDS-related illns every year.

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HIV/AIDS AND EDUTN: LSONS OM THE 1980S AND THE GAY MALE COMMUNY THE UNED STAT

Knowledge is power: If we learned anythg the gay male muny durg the early days of the HIV/AIDS epimic the Uned Stat, was that. No one knew what had h , and people were dyg huge numbers all around . The muny lost iends, lleagu, and timate partners. Inially mislabeled gay-related immune ficiency (GRID), valuable time was lost rpondg to the crisis bee most felt safe the belief that they were not at risk. Sce early victims were predomantly gay men, the stigma attached to homosexualy the medil, erng, law enforcement and eccliastil stutns beme a barrier to unrstandg, preventn, and treatment. * gay related immunodeficiency disorder *

ASERIOUS disorr of the immune system that has been known to doctors for ls than a year - a disorr that appears to affect primarily male homosexuals - has now afflicted at least 335 people, of whom has killed 136, officials of the Centers for Disease Control Atlanta said yterday. Feral health officials are ncerned that tens of thoands more homosexual men may be silently affected and therefore vulnerable to potentially grave ailments. D., for acquired immunoficiency disease, or GRID, for gay-related immunoficiency.

But most s have occurred among homosexual men, particular those who have had numero sexual partners, often anonymo partners whose inty remas unknown. '' Prelimary rults of immunologil tts have led some Feral health officials to fear that tens of thoands of homosexual men may have the acquired immune dysfunctn and be at risk for velopg plitns such as Kaposi's ncer, fectns and other disorrs at some future is ''a matter of urgent public health and scientific importance, '' Dr. Epimlogists om the Centers for Disease Control have done studi among homosexual men wh and whout the immune disorr but matched age, background and other characteristics.

THE ACQUIRED IMMUNOFICIENCY SYNDROME GAY MEN

Sce 1981, the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has emerged as the major fect epimic of our time and has foced much attentn on the male homosexual muny. While AIDS is the most ser of gay-related health ncerns, is only one of several fect diseas that have … * gay related immunodeficiency disorder *

After ttg for more than 130 potential risk factors, they found that the median number of lifetime male sexual partners for affected homosexual men was 1, 160, pared to 524 for male homosexual men who did not have the syndrome.

The ncer has not been lked to homosexuals Ai, and the reasons for s high equency there are s new form this untry, the urse of Kaposi's sara generally has been rapid and fatal. Given the fact that homosexualy is not new, the most puzzlg qutn is why the outbreak is occurrg now, and not sometime the past.

GAY-RELATED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY

The acquired immunoficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a major health problem for gay men the Uned Stat. About three fourths of all reported s have occurred this populatn, and the number is projected to double the next year. In Manhattan and San Francis, AIDS is now the leadg e … * gay related immunodeficiency disorder *

Bee homosexuals affected by GRID have reported g nre dgs more equently than homosexuals who have not, some studi have foced on this class of dgs, which have e to wispread street e sce the 1960's, But although epimlogil studi have not ''totally exonerated nr, the scientific evince to implite them is que shaky, '' acrdg to Dr. Mass, a New York Cy physician, said that ''gay people whose life style nsists of anonymo sexual enunters are gog to have to do some ser rethkg.

* gay related immunodeficiency disorder *

''A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn C, Page 1 of the Natnal edn wh the headle: NEW HOMOSEXUAL DISORDER WORRIES HEALTH OFFICIALS. READ MORE: Panmics That Changed History: A TimeleThe AIDS Epimic Aris Though HIV arrived the Uned Stat around 1970, didn’t e to the public’s attentn until the early 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventn (CDC) published a report about five prevly healthy homosexual men beg fected wh Pnmocystis pnmonia, which is ed by the normally harmls fung Pnmocystis jirovecii. Bee the disease appeared to affect mostly homosexual men, officials ially lled gay-related immune ficiency, or the CDC disvered all major rout of the disease’s transmissn—as well as that female partners of AIDS-posive men uld be fected— 1983, the public nsired AIDS a gay disease.

It was even lled the “gay plague” for many years September of 1982, the CDC ed the term AIDS to scribe the disease for the first time. AIDS was first observed Amerin gay muni but is believed to have veloped om a chimpanzee vis om Wt Ai the 1920s.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY RELATED IMMUNODEFICIENCY DISORDER

HIV/AIDS and Edutn: Lsons om the 1980s and the Gay Male Communy the Uned Stat | Uned Natns .

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