PURPOSE: To describe morphology of bone marrow (BM) biopsy in HIV infected patients. To correlate histopathologic findings and clinico-haematological data. To consider the advantages of this method (BM biopsy) in the diagnosis of secondary infectious or tumoural accompanying processes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and fourteen BM biopsies of 103 HIV infected patients were retrospectively reviewed. The cases were selected from the records of Pathology Department of Jiménez Díaz-Foundation (from 1984 to 1993). All cases were studied with routine and immunohistochemical (IHQ) techniques against haematopoietic and proliferative markers. Clinico-haematological data were also reviewed. RESULTS: Ninety per cent of biopsies showed morphological abnormalities: hypercellularity, myeloid hyperplasia and dysplasia of erythroid and megacariocytic series. Reticuline myelofibrosis and reactive lymphoplasmacytosis were also present. IHQ confirms the described histopathologic pattern. Twenty-two per cent of cases showed signs of infectious or tumoural diseases: mycobacteriosis (15%) and lymphomas (7%). Clinical manifestations were correlated with significant alterations in the BM: fever with hypercelullarity, constitutional syndrome and myelofibrosis with zidovudine therapy and infections with myelodysplasia. CONCLUSIONS: Cytology, myelofibrosis and abnormal pattern of BM biopsies in HIV infected patients are characteristic: "the so-called AIDS BM pattern" as BM is a target organ in the HIV-related infections. BM biopsies are a good method to demonstrate stage of HIV disease and accompanying infectious or tumoural processes.
PURPOSE: To describe morphology of bone marrow (BM) biopsy in HIV infectedpatients. To correlate histopathologic findings and clinico-haematological data. To consider the advantages of this method (BM biopsy) in the diagnosis of secondary infectious or tumoural accompanying processes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and fourteen BM biopsies of 103 HIV infectedpatients were retrospectively reviewed. The cases were selected from the records of Pathology Department of Jiménez Díaz-Foundation (from 1984 to 1993). All cases were studied with routine and immunohistochemical (IHQ) techniques against haematopoietic and proliferative markers. Clinico-haematological data were also reviewed. RESULTS: Ninety per cent of biopsies showed morphological abnormalities: hypercellularity, myeloid hyperplasia and dysplasia of erythroid and megacariocytic series. Reticuline myelofibrosis and reactive lymphoplasmacytosis were also present. IHQ confirms the described histopathologic pattern. Twenty-two per cent of cases showed signs of infectious or tumoural diseases: mycobacteriosis (15%) and lymphomas (7%). Clinical manifestations were correlated with significant alterations in the BM: fever with hypercelullarity, constitutional syndrome and myelofibrosis with zidovudine therapy and infections with myelodysplasia. CONCLUSIONS: Cytology, myelofibrosis and abnormal pattern of BM biopsies in HIV infectedpatients are characteristic: "the so-called AIDS BM pattern" as BM is a target organ in the HIV-related infections. BM biopsies are a good method to demonstrate stage of HIV disease and accompanying infectious or tumoural processes.