MODEL RELEASED. AIDS boy. Five year old HIV positive boy showing symptoms of nephrotic syndrome. This is a form of kidney damage caused here by Kaposi's sarcoma, a type of cancer common in AIDS patients. Symptoms include ascites (a swollen abdomen due to fluid retention), swollen lymph glands (adenopathy) and a puffy face. AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is a disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It can be passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy, and causes weakening of the immune system. This allows a variety of opportunistic infections to take hold, and makes normally harmless infections life threatening.