prince hiv aids

The world continues to mourn megastar Prince Rogers Nelson who died at age 57 in an elevator at his 66,000 sq ft Paisley Park residence near Minneapolis last Thursday.

Insiders confirm the pop icon was diagnosed with “full blown AIDS” in the months before he died.

Staff at a Walgreens near the singer’s home said he was picking up medications used to treat HIV patients the day before he died.

A well-connected music industry source told Sandrarose.com Prince committed suicide inside the elevator.

The pop superstar raised awareness of Aids in a 1998 campaign, after he was diagnosed with the virus that causes AIDS.

The bisexual singer reportedly practiced unsafe sex during all-night orgies with men and women in the 1980s and 1990s. But the source said he turned against the homosexual lifestyle and became a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses after he was diagnosed with HIV.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) breaks down the body’s immune system and prevents the body from fighting off bacteria, virus, fungus, and parasites.

Your immune system is comprised of antibodies and white blood cells (leukocytes) that act as bodyguards against invading organisms. The HIV virus enters white blood cells (WBC) and uses the WBC’s DNA to make copies of itself, destroying the WBC in the process.

The immune system is weakened when there are scant few WBCs left to put up a fight against the HIV virus.

Opportunistic Infections

Full blown AIDS occurs when the HIV virus load is high and opportunistic infections come along to take advantage of the weakened immune system.

Full blown AIDS is diagnosed when a patient presents with one or more of the classic opportunistic infections that are specific to AIDS. These infections usually don’t affect non-HIV individuals.

The opportunistic infections include:

(this list is not complete)

  • Candidiasis Oral Thrush (yeast infection) of the lungs, mouth or throat (specific to AIDS)
  • Cryptococcosis – fungal infection of the brain (specific to AIDS
  • Cytomegalovirus – CMV retinitis) herpes infection of the eyes
  • Histoplasmosis – fungal infection of the lungs (specific to AIDS)
  • Kaposi’s sarcomav – very rare type of cancer (specific to AIDS)
  • Mycobacterium avium complex – rare bacterial infection (specific to AIDS)
  • Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia – rare lung infection (specific to AIDS)
  • Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (rare disease specific to AIDS)
  • Salmonella septicemia, recurrent (specific to AIDS if it’s recurrent)
  • Toxoplasmosis – parasitic infection of the brain (specific to AIDS)
  • Wasting syndrome – HIV-associated loss of muscle mass and fat

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    Follow this link to read specific signs and symptoms for the above infections.

    This has been your Medical Minute.

    More Info On the Web

    Opportunistic Infections – AIDS.gov

    Opportunistic Infections | Living with HIV – CDC.gov

    What Are White Blood Cells? – Univ. of Rochester Medical Center

    Immune System – Kid’s Health

    DISCLAIMER

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