Special coverage: 9th Conference on Retroviruses. TB, pneumonia deaths down, but heart attacks up.

The profile of AIDS deaths has changed since HIV-infected patients began to receive highly active antiretroviral therapy in 1996. While fewer people are now dying overall, more are dying from non-AIDS-related diseases. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other sources is showing an increase in non-AIDS-defining illnesses. One CDC study presented at the recent retroviruses conference showed that while there have been declines in the proportions of deaths from some AIDS-related causes, there is an increase in deaths from non-AIDS-related causes, including liver and kidney disease and possibly ischemic heart disease.