15/4/24, 9:15 Retiring the term AIDS for more descriptive language - The Lancet HIV

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Retiring the term AIDS for more descriptive language

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Isaac  *  •orAlicia
Núñez, MDcredentials makePiñeirúa-Menéndez,
a MD • Sergio Iván Valdés-Ferrer, MD * • Show footnotes
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Published: March, 2024 • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(23)00331-4
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Summary
The term acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was coined to describe a condition marked by
weakened cell-mediated immunity in the absence of a clear cause. Due to unfortunate messaging
during the early days of the HIV epidemic, this term became loaded with stigma. After the discovery of
HIV, the term AIDS became redundant, but its use has persisted and has come to embody negative
connotations in the current landscape of the HIV epidemic. People commonly associate AIDS with a
terminal illness. This misconception promotes stigma by others, including health-care workers, but also
self-stigma, which can prevent individuals from accessing health care. Also, the link between AIDS and
gay men generated during the early epidemic with use of the term gay-related immune disorder is
misleading regarding which populations are at risk, which can delay diagnosis. The use of the term
AIDS is now discouraged by several professional associations, some of which ironically have the word
as part of their name. Ending use of the term AIDS would not eradicate stigma. However, this term has
outlasted its usefulness, and we should transition towards more descriptive language that aligns with
contemporary challenges in HIV.

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Article info
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Published: March 2024

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(23)00331-4

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HIV/AIDS • Equity, diversity, and inclusion

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