Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1989. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
GASTROINTESTINAL COMPLICATIONS OF AIDS
AIDS: Etiology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention. Second Edition. DeVita VT Jr et al, eds. Philadelphia, Lippincott, p. 227-44, 1988.. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/89650908 Bartlett JG; Laughon B; Quinn TC; Dept. of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Univ. Sch. of Medicine,; Baltimore, MD
Abstract:
HIV infection and its consequences on the immune defenses may ultimately affect every organ system. The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is one of the most common sites of clinical expression, and all levels from the oral cavity to the anus are frequently involved. A source of considerable concern is that many of these conditions are difficult to detect and refractory to therapy, although new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are rapidly being developed. GI manifestations of AIDS are described, including gay bowel syndrome, enteric pathogens of patients with AIDS, slim disease, AIDS enteropathy, characteristics and management of opportunistic infections (oral and oroesophageal candidiasis, cytomegalovirus, Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare, herpes simplex virus, Isospora, microsporidia, Salmonella, shigellosis, Campylobacter, and histoplasmosis), and malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract (Kaposi's sarcoma, oral hairy leukoplakia, and lymphomas). Kaposi's sarcoma is frequently found in the GI tract, which is one of the most frequent sites of extracutaneous lesions. Lesions are usually detected by visual inspection of the oral cavity or by endoscopy. Cutaneous and accessible lesions are normally treated with radiation, which generally is well tolerated. Oral hairy leukoplakia is of unknown cause, but various studies have associated it with different viruses. Although the condition is not an AIDS-defining diagnosis, it is seen almost exclusively in the presence of HIV infection. There is no form of treatment with established merit. Lymphomas of the GI tract seen in association with AIDS include non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, and occasional cases of small non-cleaved cell B-cell Burkitt's-like lymphoma. The majority are high-grade B-cell lymphomas that are extranodal in origin and respond poorly to chemotherapy. (191 Refs)
Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*COMPLICATIONS AIDS-Related Complex/COMPLICATIONS Gastrointestinal Diseases/*COMPLICATIONS/DRUG THERAPY Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/ETIOLOGY Homosexuality Human Leukoplakia, Oral/ETIOLOGY Lymphoma/ETIOLOGY Male Opportunistic Infections/*COMPLICATIONS/DRUG THERAPY MONOGRAPH REVIEW, TUTORIAL REVIEW
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