Pancreatic lesions in HIV-infected patients

HIV infection and the pancreas: risk factors and potential management guidelines

One thousand and eighty-one evaluable HIV-infected patients were assessed for pancreatic abnormalities in a prospective case-control study including the whole follow-up period of each patient (minimum 12 months). The 435 patients (40.2%), who experienced at least one episode of confirmed pancreatic laboratory abnormality had a longer duration of seropositivity, exposure to protease inhibitors, a more frequent immunodeficiency, AIDS, chronic liver and/or biliary disease and hypertriglyceridaemia, while no relation was found with antiretroviral administration, and the duration of type of nucleoside analogues, when compared with the 646 controls. High and prolonged laboratory alterations eventually associated with signs of organ involvement occurred in 166 cases (38.2%), and were related to the administration of didanosine, stavudine, lamivudine, pentamidine, cotrimoxazole or antitubercular/antimycobacterial therapy, cytotoxic chemotherapy, illicit substance or alcohol abuse, opportunistic infections, chronic liver and/or biliary disease, a protease inhibitor-based highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and hypertriglyceridaemia (usually associated with HAART administration). No difference was noticed between the 46 patients with clinical and/or imaging evidence of pancreatic involvement and the 120 asymptomatic subjects. Although recurrences of enzyme alterations involved 69.6% of patients, only in 30.1% of cases did a change of the underlying antiretroviral or antimicrobial therapy become necessary. An acute, uncomplicated pancreatitis occurred in nine of the 46 symptomatic subjects (19.6%). A two to four week gabexate and/or octreotide administration (performed in 79 cases of 166, 47.6%), achieved a significant laboratory, clinical and imaging cure or improvement in 82.3% of cases, with a better success rate of combined (gabexate mesilate plus octreotide) vs. single (gabexate mesilate or ocreotide) therapy. Reduced disease recurrences and a better tolerability of antiretroviral regimens, were also noticed.

Chronic binge ethanol consumption accelerates progression of simian immunodeficiency virus disease

BACKGROUND

While alcohol consumption is known to increase the incidence and severity of infections, the impact of alcohol consumption on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression has been difficult to assess. Therefore, we examined the effect of ethanol on simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) disease progression in a well-defined model utilizing rhesus macaques.

METHODS

Alcohol was administered for 5 hours via an indwelling intragastric catheter to achieve an alcohol concentration of 50 to 60 mM for 4 consecutive days per week for the duration of the study. Control animals received isocaloric sucrose. After 3 months, animals were inoculated intravenously with 10,000 times the ID(50) of SIV(DeltaB670) and followed to end-stage disease.

RESULTS

Plasma SIV ribonucleic acid (RNA) was higher in alcohol-consuming animals compared with sucrose-treated animals during the early asymptomatic stage of disease but not at later time points. This increase in viral set point was associated with more rapid progression to end-stage disease in macaques administered alcohol (median=374 days) compared with sucrose (median=900 days). The decline in blood CD4+ cells was similar in both groups of animals.

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicates that frequent episodes of alcohol intoxication in SIV+ macaques increase viral set point in association with more rapid development of end-stage disease.

Endocrine and Metabolic Manifestations of HIV Infection and AIDS

Since the first descriptions of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a great deal of knowledge has been accumulated on how these entities interact with the endocrine system. Recently new information has been received on autoimmune dysregulation causing thyroid abnormalities after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), as well as metabolic dysregulation occurring in the setting of protease inhibitors. We review the pathophysiologic abnormalities of the endocrine systems due to HIV infection as well as the endocrine effects of drugs commonly used in HIV management. The spectrum of endocrine dysfunction associated with HIV is growing and the intensive care physician must be aware of these potentially reversible abnormalities.

New onset diabetes mellitus in an HIV-positive adolescent

The authors report an 18-year-old girl with HIV infection who developed new-onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in association with anemia. IDDM among patients with HIV infection has been infrequently reported and suggested to be caused by different etiologies. Susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, such as IDDM, has been associated functionally with two members of a newly described multigene family called PERB11. In this patient, the progression of hyperglycemia associated with a rapid increase in insulin requirement is suggestive of insulin resistance.

Acute pancreatitis. A fatal complication of AIDS therapy

Pancreatic disease in patients with AIDS often is so mild that the diagnosis may be missed. The pancreas can be affected by systemic illness caused by opportunistic infections, Kaposi's sarcoma, or lymphoma. More commonly, drugs used to treat patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus can cause pancreatitis and result in significant morbidity and, rarely, mortality. We report one such case in a 47-year-old patient with AIDS in whom pancreatitis developed while taking 2',3'-dideoxyinosine (ddI). His condition improved on ddI withdrawal, but he suffered a fatal relapse while receiving 2',3'-dideoxycytidine and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. This case gives me the opportunity to review the literature regarding the incidence, causes, and diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus-associated pancreatitis.

Biochemical assessment of pancreatic disease in human immunodeficiency virus infected men

AIM

To determine the usefulness of measuring amylase activity as an indicator of pancreatic disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients.

METHODS

A prospective study of 129 ambulant HIV positive males. Total amylase, pancreatic amylase, and lipase activities were assayed using commercial test kits on an automated analyser. Samples with raised amylase were examined for the presence of macroamylasaemia using cellulose acetate electrophoresis.

RESULTS

Thirty six (28%) of the subjects had raised total amylase activities compared with healthy, age matched blood donors. However, almost half of these were because of an increase of the salivary fraction. Four subjects were found to have macroamylasaemia. Pancreatic amylase and lipase assays, more specific indicators of pancreatic disease, produced significantly fewer abnormal results. There was no association between abdominal symptoms and elevated enzyme levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Total amylase is a poor indicator of pancreatic disease in HIV infected outpatients. Specific assays for pancreatic amylase offer advantages over the traditional total amylase assay. The lipase assay produced the least number of abnormal results and its use could improve the biochemical identification of patients with possible pancreatic disease and allow a more selective investigation of these cases.

The pancreas in AIDS

Although autopsy studies reveal significant pancreatic lesions in about 10% of AIDS patients, pancreatic lesions infrequently produce symptoms and are rarely recognized premortem. Patients with AIDS can develop pancreatic disease from causes not related to AIDS or AIDS-specific lesions. AIDS-specific causes include opportunistic infection, AIDS-associated neoplasia, and medications used to treat complications of AIDS. Pancreatic involvement is usually part of a widely disseminated tumor and rarely produces clinical symptoms.