A new disease was recognized in rural Uganda in 1983. Because the major symptoms
were weight loss and diarrhea, it was known locally as slim disease. It is
strongly associated with HIV infection (63 out of 71 patients in the first
study) and affects females nearly as frequently as males. The clinical features
are similar to those of enteropathic acquired immunodeficiency syndrome as seen
in neighbouring Zaire. However, the syndrome is rarely associated with Kaposi's
sarcoma (KS), although KS is endemic in this area of Uganda. Slim disease occurs
predominantly in the heterosexually promiscuous population and there is no clear
evidence to implicate other possible means of transmission, such as by insect
vectors or re-used injection needles. The site and timing of the first reported
cases suggest that the disease arose in Tanzania.
Adapted from the abstract of : Slim disease: a new disease in Uganda and its
association with HTLV-III infection. Serwadda D, Mugerwa RD, Sewankambo NK,
Lwegaba A, Carswell JW, Kirya GB, Bayley AC, Downing RG, Tedder RS, Clayden SA,
et al. Lancet. 1985 Oct 19;2(8460):849-52.