In the 90's, in spite of the technological advances in the diagnosis and therapeutics of aids, the spread of aids among populations subject of major social exclusion showed the limits of these forms of interpreting the health-illness process. In opposition to the “risk model”, the concept of vulnerability was proposed to ensure a broader understanding of the aids phenomena, also expanding the strategies of intervention in the health-illness processes of the social groups affected by the disease. The object of this study is the concept of vulnerability, in its three dimensions: individual, social and programatic. Its main objetive was to develop markers of vulnerability from conditions and characteristics associated to vulnerability. The method was the dialetical hermeneutics e the data sources were the thesis and dissertations produced or conducted by the author from 1987 to 2004 with specific populations. The results showed that the majority of the studies focused on the individual vunerability, followed by those that focused on the programatic dimension and,  finally, on the social vulnerability. The analisis of these studys enable the identification of specific markers for each dimension of vulnerability. In the individual dimension, these markers of vulnerability are: knowlege and meanings associated to aids, personal and relational characteristics, diagnosis impact, resources available e ways of coping with the disease.  In the programatic dimension, the markers are the structure and the dynamics of service organization and the functioning of health actions. In the social dimension, the markers identified are:life conditions, juridic and political aparathus, ideology and culture. The investigation reassured the multiple determinations of the vulnerability that Express themselves in health production process, social representations concernig aids e related themes and subjective perceptions of the infected
person.