PURPOSE: To study the incidence and the etiology of the cardiac lesions in AIDS patients. METHODS: The autopsy protocols and the filled slides of the heart from 73 consecutive AIDS patients were reviewed. There were, at least, 2 slides of each heart stained by haematoxylin-eosin; when indicated, Ziehl-Nielsen, Gram and Gomori Grocott stains were used. RESULTS: No cause of death was assigned to the heart. There was involvement of the heart in 66 (90%) cases. Marked atrophy of cardiac fibers with or without lipomatosis was observed in 38 patients. Interstitial infiltrates of myocardium were present in 38 necropsies and in 13 of these cases a probable pathogen was demonstrated: cryptococcus neoforms in three cases and mycobacteria tuberculosis, atypical mycobacteria, toxoplasma' gondii, trypanosoma cruzi and cytomegalovirus in two cases each. Bacterial endocarditis was found in 4 autopsies and Kaposi sarcome in one. The pericardium was involved in 22 cases; in 12 there was only non specific mononuclear infiltration. CONCLUSION: Autopsy examination of the heart from AIDS patients revealed frequent pathologic involvement.
PURPOSE: To study the incidence and the etiology of the cardiac lesions in AIDSpatients. METHODS: The autopsy protocols and the filled slides of the heart from 73 consecutive AIDSpatients were reviewed. There were, at least, 2 slides of each heart stained by haematoxylin-eosin; when indicated, Ziehl-Nielsen, Gram and Gomori Grocott stains were used. RESULTS: No cause of death was assigned to the heart. There was involvement of the heart in 66 (90%) cases. Marked atrophy of cardiac fibers with or without lipomatosis was observed in 38 patients. Interstitial infiltrates of myocardium were present in 38 necropsies and in 13 of these cases a probable pathogen was demonstrated: cryptococcus neoforms in three cases and mycobacteria tuberculosis, atypical mycobacteria, toxoplasma' gondii, trypanosoma cruzi and cytomegalovirus in two cases each. Bacterial endocarditis was found in 4 autopsies and Kaposi sarcome in one. The pericardium was involved in 22 cases; in 12 there was only non specific mononuclear infiltration. CONCLUSION: Autopsy examination of the heart from AIDSpatients revealed frequent pathologic involvement.
Authors: Alicia Hidron; Nicholas Vogenthaler; José I Santos-Preciado; Alfonso J Rodriguez-Morales; Carlos Franco-Paredes; Anis Rassi Journal: Clin Microbiol Rev Date: 2010-04 Impact factor: 26.132