[Periarteritis nodosa-type vasculitis and infection with human immunodeficiency virus]

Carotid Artery Aneurysm in HIV: A Review of Case Reports in Literature

BACKGROUND

HIV infection may affect the cardiovascular system through different physiopathological patterns. Rarely reported in HIV negative patients, aneurysms involving the carotid artery have been described for the first time in seropositive patients in 1989.

AIMS

In our study, we have focused on aneurysm pathology affecting carotid arteries in HIV patients, analyzing clinical and surgical presentation, management, and outcome, through a review of cases published in the literature.

METHODS

The MEDLINE (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) database was reviewed for "carotid artery aneurysm AND HIV OR AIDS OR immunodeficiency."

RESULTS

Nineteen articles including a total of 46 cases were included in our report. The mean age of patients was 30.6 ± 14.2 years; 30 patients (65.2%) were male. Aneurysms were localized in the intracranial carotid (41.3%) or extracranial artery (58%). Presenting features included symptoms due to compression of neck structures; positivity for neurological symptoms occurred in 36.9%. Patients were managed surgically in 58.7% of cases; surgical morbidity and mortality were of 22.2% and 7.4% respectively, higher for endovascular procedures. The overall mortality in treated and untreated cases was 26.1%.

CONCLUSIONS

Aneurysms may occur in both the extracranial and intracranial carotid artery in patients with HIV at younger age than in non-HIV patients and are linked to a high morbidity and mortality. Seropositivity must be ruled out whenever this rare vascular condition may occur in the absence of a more likely aetiology and must also be suspected in HIV patients presenting with compressive symptoms of the neck, neurological impairment or stroke.

Many Different Patterns under a Common Flag: Aortic Pathology in HIV-A Review of Case Reports in Literature

BACKGROUND

Availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV has prolonged life expectancy of patients but has also increased the incidence of non-AIDS comorbid conditions. Among these, there are cardiovascular diseases, and aortic involvement has been described in patients with HIV in the form of aortitis, aneurysms, or dissections. Our study aims to describe aortic pathology occurring in patients with HIV, focusing on clinical and surgical presentation, management, and outcome, through a review of cases published in literature.

METHODS

MEDLINE (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) database was reviewed for "aortitis" OR "aortic aneurysm" OR "aortic dissection" AND HIV. Research was restricted to English language. Only case reports were included. Data on patients' age, sex, traditional risk factors, timing from HIV diagnosis, pharmacological details, coinfection (syphilis, hepatitis C virus [HCV], and hepatitis B virus [HBV]), anatomical localization of lesion, presence of inflammatory involvement, rapid growing or rupture, and surgical treatment and outcomes were collected and summarized in tables.

RESULTS

Forty articles (51 cases) were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 48.8 ± 8.3 years. Male sex was preponderant (43 cases, 84.3%). Among traditional risk factors, hypertension and smoking were the most frequently reported ones (14 and 13 cases, respectively), followed by vasculopathy involving other arterial districts, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and drug addiction. In 3 cases, HIV was diagnosed in the same time as aortic pathology, whereas in most cases, aortic event occurred after five years from HIV diagnosis. In 30.5% of cases for which data on pharmacologic management were available, no treatment or poor adherence was reported. Coinfection occurred in some cases (syphilis in 6, HCV in 5, and HBV in 3). As for anatomical involvement, isolated thoracic lesions were more frequent (24, 47.1%), followed by abdominal and thoracoabdominal lesions. The etiology ranged from bacterial mycotic aneurysms to tertiary syphilis, postsurgical complications, or atherosclerosis. In 3 cases, HIV vasculitis was directly suggested, and in another 2, no other potential etiology had been diagnosed through cultural tests. Open surgical treatment was carried out in 30 cases (58.8%), and in addition, 10 endovascular (19.6%) and 2 hybrid procedures were described. Inflammatory features occurred in 7 cases, and a rapid evolution of lesions in 6. In 9 cases (17.6%), rupture occurred. Mortality was reported in 8 cases (15.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Aortic pathology may occur in patients with HIV. The entanglement of different patterns of pathological involvement of the aortic wall, secondary to immune dysregulation, infectious process, or atherosclerotic damage that may co-occur in one single case, results in a very challenging management of the condition. Because of the increased life expectancy of patients and immigration from regions with both high HIV and coinfection prevalence, the incidence of aortic pathology could increase in the upcoming years, suggesting the urgent need for further studies to optimize management in these very complex cases.

Vasculitides in the context of HIV infection

Vasculitides are a rare but major manifestation of HIV infection, with an incidence of less than 1%, excluding adverse drug reactions. A wide spectrum of vasculitides have been found in association with HIV infection, reflecting almost every pattern and type of vasculitis of small, medium and large vessels. Vasculitis in HIV-infected patients can arise as a result of infection with a known pathogen or in response to a triggering factor, but may also arise in the absence of any identifiable cause. Although the vasculitides seen in HIV infection are varied, one feature--namely inflammation of the vessel wall--is common to all. Various pathogenic mechanisms have been implicated in the induction of vasculitis, including cell-mediated inflammation, immune complex-mediated inflammation and autoantibody-mediated inflammation. This review will focus on some of those vasculitides that have been described in HIV-infected patients, and will discuss the association of atherosclerosis with vasculitides.

Necrotizing vasculitis with a polyarteritis nodosa-like pattern and selective immunoglobulin A deficiency: case report and review of the literature

Selective immunoglobulin A deficiency (IgAD) is a primary immunodeficiency disease characterized by low levels (< 7 mg/dl) of serum immunoglobulin (Ig) A and normal serum levels of IgG and IgM. Patients with IgAD have increased risk for recurrent respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, autoimmune disease, asthma and allergy. A 26-year-old woman was admitted with sudden onset of painful cutaneous lesions on her lower extremities, pyrexia and arthromyalgia. Her medical history was remarkable for recurrent respiratory tract infections, self-limited episodes of acute diarrhea, atopy, splenomegaly and a 4-year history of a lung granulomatous lesion. Laboratory and imaging tests ruled out severe life-threatening infection, connective tissue disease and neoplasm. Serum protein electrophoresis showed a low IgA serum level (6.67 mg/dl), with normal serum levels of IgG and IgM, conducting to a diagnosis of selective IgAD. A skin biopsy showed necrotizing vasculitis without any sign of internal organ disease. We report a patient with IgAD and granulomatous involvement of lungs, spleen and medium-sized arteries of the skin. Although IgAD results from a failure of B-cell differentiation, we propose that deregulated immune response with production of cross-reactive antibodies and hyperstimulation of T cells and macrophages could contribute to this widespread granulomatous reaction.

[Vasculitis associated with viral infections]

VIRUSES, THE CAUSE OF VASCULITIS: Although the majority of systemic vasculitis are of unknown causes, the responsibility of a viral infection has been formally demonstrated in some of them and specific treatment can permanently cure them. Each virus incriminated accounts for a particular type of vasculitis. HEPATITIS B VIRAL INFECTION (HBV): Is the cause of polyarteritis nodosa in 36 to 50% of cases. The onset of the symptomatology is acute, usually within a few months following the infection; it is comparable to that observed in the absence of HBV infection. CRYOGLOBULINEMIA RELATED TO THE HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV): The clinical manifestations are those of systemic vasculitis with particular tropism for the skin (involvement generally inaugural and almost constant), peripheral nerves and the glomerula. They occur fairly late during the infection. VASCULITIS ASSOCIATED WITH HIV INFECTION: There is strong tropism for the peripheral (multi-neuritis) and central nervous system. During acute parvovirus B19 infection Vasculitis lesions have occasionally been reported following the viremic phase, generally limited to one or several flares of vascular purpura predominating on the lower limbs. FOLLOWING VARICELLA-HERPES ZOSTER INFECTION: Vasculitis occasionally develops in the form of a central neurological deficiency (locomotor deficiency with or without aphasia around one month after an ophthalmologic herpes zoster) or involving the retina or, more rarely, the skin or the kidneys. VASCULITIS ASSOCIATED WITH CYTOMEGALOVIRAL INFECTION: Predominantly observed in immunodepressed patients, vasculitis after CMV infection is diffuse and basically involving the digestive tube, notably the colon, the central nervous system and the skin. A RARE COMPLICATION OF AN HTLV1 INFECTION: Vasculitis of the retina often in the form of necrotic retinitis is often associated with spasmodic paraparessia.

THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY

For many vasculitis of viral origin, corticosteroid and immunosuppressive treatments are only indicated in second intention following failure with antiviral agents and the combination of antivirals and plasma exchanges.

Kawasaki-like syndromes and other vasculitic syndromes in HIV-infected patients

Excluding drug-related hypersensitivity reactions, vasculitic syndromes are not common in HIV-positive patients. Review of the existing literature suggests that HIV positive patients may be predisposed to polyarteritis nodosa, microscopic polyarteritis, Kawasaki-like syndromes, acute occlusion syndromes, primary angiitis of the central nervous system and erythema elevatum diutinum. With the exception of erythema elevatum diutinum, these vasculitic syndromes have significant morbidities and mortality if they are not treated. It is therefore important to make these diagnoses and to initiate appropriate therapy in a timely fashion. Because fevers, malaise, weakness, rashes, headaches and neurologic symptoms are common in HIV-positive patients, it is probable that some cases of vasculitis go undiagnosed. In this report, we review vasculitic syndromes seen in HIV-positive patients. We also re-examine a previously published case of a young HIV-positive male who died of an acute myocardial infarction without atherosclerotic disease. Immunohistopathology of the affected arteries suggests that he died of a Kawasaki-like syndrome.

Retroviral-associated vasculitis of the nervous system

Vasculitis may involve the central and peripheral nervous system in HIV-infected patients. Central nervous system vasculitis is rare with HIV infection and most are owing to opportunistic infections including varicella, CMV, fungal, tuberculosis, and syphilis. Vasculitis of the peripheral nerve may cause mononeuritis multiplex or polyneuropathy, sometimes as the first symptom of HIV or after AIDS has developed. Symptoms may be limited to the peripheral nerve. The etiology may be infection of endothelial cells, hepatitis B or HIV-induced immune complexes, or dysregulation of cytokines and adhesion molecules. Treatment with steroids alone is often effective; IVIg and cytotoxic agents have also been used. It is uncertain whether vasculitis of the nervous system is ever due to other retroviruses (HIV-2, HTLV-1, and HTLV-2).

The spectrum of vasculitis in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. A clinicopathologic evaluation

OBJECTIVE

To delineate the different types of inflammatory vascular diseases (IVD) occurring in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

METHODS

Muscle, nerve, or skin biopsy specimens from 148 symptomatic HIV-infected individuals were reviewed, and subgroups of vasculitis were identified using the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1990 clinicopathologic criteria for the classification of vasculitis.

RESULTS

IVD was documented in 34 patients (23%) and included necrotizing arteritis (3 patients), non-necrotizing arteritis (1 patient), neutrophilic IVD (7 patients), mononuclear IVD (17 patients), and other small vessel inflammatory changes (6 patients). According to the ACR criteria, 11 patients could be classified as having a distinct category of vasculitis, including polyarteritis nodosa (4 patients), Henoch-Schönlein purpura (1 patient), and drug-induced hypersensitivity vasculitis (6 patients), and 23 were classified in the group "other vasculitis, type unspecified." One patient had hepatitis B virus surface antigenemia, 2 had cryoglobulinemia, and 2 were coinfected by human T lymphotropic virus type I. Cytomegalovirus inclusions and antigens were found in endothelial cells in 1 patient. HIV antigens and genome were detected in perivascular cells of 2 of the 3 patients with necrotizing arteritis; in 1, HIV-like particles were seen by electron microscopy. Immune deposits were found in small vessel walls in 5 skin biopsy samples showing small vessel vasculitis and in the muscle of the 3 patients with necrotizing arteritis.

CONCLUSION

A wide range of inflammatory vascular diseases may occur in HIV-infected individuals. Vascular inflammation appears multifactorial and may result from HIV-induced immunologic abnormalities and exposure to a variety of xenoantigens, such as HIV itself, other infectious agents, and drugs.

[Periarteritis nodosa and parvovirus B19 infection]

The authors report a case of polyarteritis nodosa which coincide with serological conversion to parvovirus B19. After review of the literature, they recall the role of this virus in human pathology and also the role of different infectious agents in the PAN pathogenesis.