ABSTRACT
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), first identified in 1981, is the final stage of a viral infection caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS is now the seventh leading cause of death in 1-to 4-year-olds, sixth among 15-to 24-year olds, and third among 25-to 44-year-olds in the United States. Cardiac involvement in AIDS, which was previously felt to be an unusual manifestation of the disease, appears to be an important complication of AIDS and is now being reported with increased frequency (1).
