AIDS-related complex

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

AIDS-related complex, or ARC, was introduced by the discovery of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome in homosexual men in 1981. ARC is a condition in which antibody tests are positive for HIV. Patients with ARC show the mild symptoms of HIV infection, which include enlarged lymph nodes, fatigue, night sweats, weight loss, and diarrhea.

Definition

ARC is "A prodromal phase of effects phase of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV). Laboratory criteria separating AIDS-related complex ( ARC) from AIDS include elevated or hyperactive B-cell humoral immune responses, compared to depressed or normal antibody reactivity in AIDS; follicular or mixed hyperplasia in ARC lymph nodes, leading to lymphocyte degeneration and depletion more typical of AIDS; evolving succession of histopathological lesions such as localization of Kaposi's sarcoma, signaling the transition to the AIDS.