The acute abdomen and HIV.

HIV-related disease continues to increase and presents the greatest single challenge to the medical practitioner seeking to alleviate suffering in the developing world. As a result, the practice of surgery cannot ignore the impact of HIV and must assess the implications of this new disease. Although much has been written of HIV-related surgical pathology, the preponderance of the literature reflects the experience of surgeons working in well-equipped hospitals in the First World where HIV prevalence is low and where there is ready access to a multiplicity of drug therapies and nursing backup.