Alexis Arquette Reportedly Died From AIDS. Here’s What That Really Means

Actress Alexis Arquette has died from complications related to AIDS, according to news reports, but how exactly, does someone die from the disease? Arquette, who was an activist in the transgender community, died on Sunday at age 47, according to People magazine. Members of Arquette’s family, including her sister Patricia Arquette and brother David Arquette, who are both actors, also released statements about their loss on social media. “Alexis was a brilliant artist and painter, a singer, an entertainer and an actor,” the family said in a Facebook post. “Despite the fact that there are few parts for trans actors, she refused to play roles that were demeaning or stereotypical. She was a vanguard in the fight for understanding and acceptance for all trans people.” AIDS, which stands for “acquired immunodeficiency syndrome,” is a disease caused by an infection with the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. Typically, a person can live for many years with an HIV infection before developing the serious condition AIDS. HIV destroys important immune cells that help the body fight off infection. Without treatment, HIV destroys more and more immune cells, making it harder for the body to fight off infections, including infections that would not typically cause symptoms in a healthy person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people who die from HIV/AIDS do not die from the virus itself but rather from these so-ca...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news