GRID (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency) | 81 | Encyclopedia of AIDS | Tay

Contents:

• GAY-RELATED IMMUNE FICIENCY
• 1980S. HIV/AIDS: WHY WAS AIDS LLED ‘THE GAY PLAGUE’?
• GRID (GAY-RELATED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY)

GAY-RELATED IMMUNE FICIENCY

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.

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.

1980S. HIV/AIDS: WHY WAS AIDS LLED ‘THE GAY PLAGUE’?

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.

''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. Gay-related immune ficiencyGay-related immune ficiency (GRID) (sometim rmally lled the gay plague or GRIDS, standg for Gay-related immune ficiency syndrome) was the origal name for AIDS, a name proposed after public health scientists noticed clters of Kaposi's sara and Pnmocystis pnmonia among gay mal California and New York Cy. [1] Durg the early history of AIDS, an ad hoc anizatn lled Gay Men's Health Crisis was found to bat what was then thought to be a homosexual-only disease perhaps produced by high levels of promiscuy, traveno dg e, and age of poppers.

In this new name, scientists were supported by polil figur who realized that the term "gay-related" did not accurately scribe the mographic that the disease affected. ^ A Clter of Kaposi's Sara and Pnmocystis rii Pnmonia among Homosexual Male Rints of Los Angel and Orange Counti, California.

GRID (GAY-RELATED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY)

The early years of AIDS were a time of great fear and anxiety for gay men around the world. But there was another element that exacerbated the suatn – the homophobia whipped up by irrponsible media. Central to this was the staed e of the terms ‘gay plague’ and ‘gay bug’ when referrg to AIDS.

A ‘Gay’ Disease?

As for the ‘gay’ nnectn, there is no doubt that AIDS was first tected gay men and, for a brief perd, sperate rearchers examed the so-lled ‘gay liftyle’ for clu as to atn. Sadly, this rulted the creatn of the acronym GRID – “Gay Related Immune Deficiency”. But GRID was only adopted om early 1982 until July 27th 1982, when the Centers for Disease Control realised, amongst other thgs, that there’s no such thg as a universal “gay liftyle”.