ABSTRACT
Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 leads to a complex multisystem disease. Opportunistic infections and malignancies resulting from the progressive immunologic impairment that is central to the disorder may involve any organ system. However, a more direct relationship between HIV infection and end organ dysfunction also exists. Such clinical syndromes as dementia, cardiomyopathy, and nephropathy, which are commonly seen in HIV-infected patients, appear to be caused by the virus itself in many cases.
