Resenha Bibliográfica. Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de M edicina Tropical 19:202, Jul-Set, 1986
T H E M A N A G E M E N T O F A ID S P A T IE N T S . P . 202.
E d ited b y M iller D , W e b e r J , G re e n J . M acM illan , L ondon, 1986. A ID S C O N C E R N S ? Y O U . P. 104
W eb er J , F e rrim a n A. P ag o d a B ooks, L on d o n , 1986.
T h e infectious d isease p h y sician c a rn e s a low social profile com pared his caidiological, gastro en - terological o r neurolo gical colleagues. Y et th is is n o t ju stified since the tre a tm e n t and control o f infectious disease h as been m ore su ccessful. In fact city dw ellers have forgotten such horro rs as plague in L o n d o n in the 1 7 * C en tu ry , o r ch o lera in C ac h o e ira , B ah ia, an d yellow fever in Philadelphia. U rb an epidemic infectious disease w as alm ost a th in g o f th e p a s t until the definition o f the acquired immune deficiency syndrom e (A ID S ) am ong the hom osexual com m unities o f N ew Y ork and S an F ran cisco . N o w it is o n th e in crease in the cosm opolitan cities o f th e w orld including R io de Jan eiro an d S áo P au lo . A s y e t no one h as le ftto w n ,b u t at least th ey are talking ab o u t infectious disease at cocktail parties.
T alk in g is one thing b u t th e w ritten w ord another, and th ere h as been a lag in in form ation in book form ab o u t A ID S w hich is now being corrected . T h e first case o f A ID S in B razil w as d escrib ed in this jo u rn al as was th e first book o n A ID S . N o w th ere are several an d am ong th e m o st re c e n t th e tw o listed above from B ritish w orkers.
T h e larger w ork d eals succin tly w ith T h e M a n a gem ent o f the A ID S P a tie n t in 2 0 2 p ages. Since once the diagnosis is m ad e th ere is little th a t c a n b e d o n e for th e b asic im m unological d efect it is perh ap s significant th a t tw o o f th e authors are clin icai psycholo gists. H ow ever th e clinicai m an ag em en t o f various com
-plicating infections are d iscu ssed . O th e r sectio n s deal w ith virolo gy, im m unology, venerology, n ursing an d p sycholo gical asp ects su ch as counsellin g. T h e re is a suicide risk in patien ts w ho fm d o u t th e y are infected and have n o guidance. A sso c ia te d ven ereal d isease in hom o sex u als in L o n d o n (eg. syphilis, gonorrhea) has fallen as a resu lt o f m odifications o f sex u al practices.
T h e second sm all p o c k e t b o o k tries to a la y th e p u b lic’s fears a b o u t A ID S b y fum ishing reliable inform ation. T h e first p a rt is in q u estio n a n d an sw er form follow ed b y six illustrative ca se h isto ries, a glossary o f m ed icai term s an d a list o f usefiil addresses and te lep h o n e num b ers in th e B ritish isles. T h is ty p e o f booklet to inform th e public o f disease p roblem s is in regular use in B ritain. T h is p p ck et guide succeeds rem ark ab ly well in sum m arising th e inform ation generally available.
H o w ev er research p ro ceed s a t su ch a p ace th a t inevitably such books are alread y d a te d . Som e w orkers think th e im p act o f A ID S o n society will be sim ilar to th a t o f syphilis in th e 15th C en tu ry . I n som e resp ects, for exam ple, th e cereb ral atro p h y in the chronic stage th e d iseases are sim ilar. A lso th ere is now evid ence from various p a rts o f th e w orld o f heterosexual tran sm issio n o f A ID S . O nly tim e will tell, and th ere w ill b e tim e since th e u n stab le ch em istry o f the L A V -H T L V III virus an d th e w eak im m une response it induces m ake v accin e pro d u ctio n difficult.
P h ilip D . M a rsd e n
