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CDC CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR HIV INFECTION
The CDC categorization of HIV/AIDS is based on the lowest documented CD4 cell count and on previously diagnosed HIV-related conditions (see Table 1). For example, if a patient had a condition that once met the criteria for category B but now is asymptomatic, the patient would remain in category B. Additionally, categorization is based on specific conditions, as indicated below. Patients in categories A3, B3, and C1-C3 are considered to have AIDS.Table 1. CDC Classification System for HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents
| CD4 Cell Categories | Clinical Categories | ||
| Abbreviations: PGL = persistent generalized lymphadenopathy | |||
|
A Asymptomatic, Acute HIV, or PGL |
B* Symptomatic Conditions, not A or C |
C# AIDS-Indicator Conditions |
| (1) ≥500 cells/µL | A1 | B1 | C1 |
| (2) 200-499 cells/µL | A2 | B2 | C2 |
| (3) <200 cells/µL | A3 | B3 | C3 |
* Category B Symptomatic Conditions Category B symptomatic conditions are defined as symptomatic conditions occurring in an HIV-infected adolescent or adult that meets at least one of the following criteria:
They are attributed to HIV infection or indicate a defect in cell-mediated immunity.
They are considered to have a clinical course or management that is complicated by HIV infection. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Bacillary angiomatosis
- Oropharyngeal candidiasis (thrush)
- Vulvovaginal candidiasis, persistent or resistant
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- Cervical dysplasia (moderate or severe)/cervical carcinoma in situ
- Hairy leukoplakia, oral
- Herpes zoster (shingles), involving two or more episodes or at least one dermatome
- Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
- Constitutional symptoms, such as fever (>38.5ºC) or diarrhea lasting >1 month
- Peripheral neuropathy
# Category C AIDS-Indicator Conditions
- Bacterial pneumonia, recurrent (two or more episodes in 12 months)
- Candidiasis of the bronchi, trachea, or lungs
- Candidiasis, esophageal
- Cervical carcinoma, invasive, confirmed by biopsy
- Coccidioidomycosis, disseminated or extrapulmonary
- Cryptococcosis, extrapulmonary
- Cryptosporidiosis, chronic intestinal (>1 month in duration)
- Cytomegalovirus disease (other than liver, spleen, or nodes)
- Encephalopathy, HIV-related
- Herpes simplex: chronic ulcers (>1 month in duration), or bronchitis, pneumonitis, or esophagitis
- Histoplasmosis, disseminated or extrapulmonary
- Isosporiasis, chronic intestinal (>1-month duration)
- Kaposi sarcoma
- Lymphoma, Burkitt, immunoblastic, or primary central nervous system
- Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) or Mycobacterium kansasii, disseminated or extrapulmonary
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis, pulmonary or extrapulmonary
- Mycobacterium, other species or unidentified species, disseminated or extrapulmonary
- Pneumocystis jiroveci (formerly carinii) pneumonia (PCP)
- Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)
- Salmonella septicemia, recurrent (nontyphoid)
- Toxoplasmosis of brain
- Wasting syndrome caused by HIV (involuntary weight loss >10% of baseline body weight) associated with either chronic diarrhea (two or more loose stools per day for ≥1 month) or chronic weakness and documented fever for ≥1 month
