Famous People Who Died Of Aids

AIDS is reported to be one of the deadliest diseases by far to have struck mankind. Owing to a flamboyant lifestyle, there are many well known celebrities in various walks of life who succumbed to this deadly disease.

One such famous personality was the African American professional tennis player, Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. His name stands out as the first African American junior to obtain the USLTA national ranking. The phenomenal player is remembered till date for being the only African American to achieve victory in the men's singles at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open. The dynamic player lost his life to AIDS in the year 1993.

The lead singer of the much acclaimed English rock band Queen, Freddie Mercury died of AIDS in 1991. The enigmatic musician and vocalist displayed passion for music even as a child. Owing to his education in India, his music had a predominant streak of the Indian culture.

The famous writer, Isaac Asimov born in Russia is also reported to have died of heart and kidney failure which were repercussions of HIV infection. The signs of wisdom were evident in Isaac very early in life. The boy could read much before he received the formal education to do so and at the mere age of 11 years, he penned down his first fiction novel. His other significant literary works include Marooned Off Vesta, Nightfall, I, Robot and the Foundation series.

Leigh Bowery carved a niche for himself in the domains of acting, modeling, pop music and fashion designing. In the decade of the 80s and 90s, his name topped the charts in the fashion industry in London. Very few knew about his illness which led to his death in 1994.

Even today, Rock Hudson is a name to reckon with in Hollywood. The fabulous actor mesmerized the audience with his exceptional acting skills and charming personality. The actor commenced his career with a miniscule role in the movie entitled Fighter Squadron in the year 1948. Thereafter, fame followed with movies like The Last Sunset, The Ambassador, Strange Bedfellows, Man's Favorite Sport and Send Me No Flowers. Hudson contracted HIV/AIDS in 1984 and died a year later.

History Of Aids

The year 1981 stands as a milestone in medical history for being the year in which the most deadly disease to hit mankind so far was identified. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS was initially referred to as Gay Related Immune Deficiency or GRID since the first few reported cases of the disease were diagnosed in homosexual men. Further research on this subject brought to light the fact that the disease may have originated long before 1981.

In fact, there is evidence to prove the presence of the disease in a Bantu man who died in the year 1959 in Belgian Congo. Many studies denote this to be the first case of AIDS. The two viruses linked with AIDS namely HIV-1 and HIV-2 are said to hail from Africa. The causal virus actually seems to have flourished around the times of World War II.

It was in the year 1981 that several cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, which is a lung infection and Kaposi's sarcoma, an uncommon variant of skin cancer came into limelight in New York and Los Angeles. This triggered off a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on individuals comprising young men, women and children with failing immunity. Thereafter, in 1982 almost 14 countries identified cases of AIDS. It was in the same year itself that the CDC established reports on the presence of AIDS in a hemophilic patient and in a new born child delivered by a mother infected with AIDS. These cases were enough evidence to associate the disease with blood transfusions. In the year 1983, LAV virus was identified in France by Dr. Luc Montagnier from the Pasteur Institute located in France as the causal agent of the fatal disease, while the same was ascertained by Dr. Robert Gallo of the National Cancer Institute to be HTLV-III in 1984. However, in 1986 it was projected that the two viruses that is LAV and HTLV-III were the same and were renamed as HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Hiv Aids And The Elderly

The general age bracket taken into consideration, while estimating the effect of AIDS on the elderly, is 50 years and above. Within a span of few years that is from the year 2001 to today, the number of elderly population affected with AIDS in the United States has risen from 17 percent to 29 percent.

These victims of AIDS can be bifurcated into three categories. Firstly, there are those who have been suffering at the hands of this lethal disease for years now. Secondly, there are many older people who have recently identified the disease already existing in their body for some years now and lastly, is the category of people who have recently contracted the disease.

Studies highlight that the incidence of AIDS is certainly increasing in the elderly. There can be various reasons for this rising percentage. Some of them include lack of awareness related to the disease, dearth of focus on this age group for imparting the knowledge of preventive measures, practicing unsafe sexual activities, the invention of drugs such as Viagra that has enhanced sexual desire in this age group, harnessing the misconception that AIDS is a disease of the young alone, mistaking symptoms of AIDS to be mere signs of ageing and finally not seeking treatment due to the stigma attached to the disease.

Although there has not been much research on AIDS in the elderly, it is often seen that age does complicate the situation in certain ways. The CD4 cells take a longer time to recuperate in older patients. The immune system of the body also starts deteriorating with age which further aggravates the situation. Also, many other problems or signs of ageing add to the already existing condition and worsen the effect of the disease. However, it is a proven fact that the antiretroviral treatment gives satisfactory results in older patients as well. A plus point of the age is enhanced conscientiousness that renders the patient more agile towards regularity in taking medication.