Gastrointestinal hemorrhage in patients with AIDS

Oncological features and prognosis of colorectal cancer in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Due to the prolonged life expectancy and increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) among patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, the prognosis and pathological features of CRC in HIV-positive patients require examination.

AIM

To compare the differences in oncological features, surgical safety, and prognosis between patients with and without HIV infection who have CRC at the same tumor stage and site.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, we collected data from HIV-positive and -negative patients who underwent radical resection for CRC. Using random stratified sampling, 24 HIV-positive and 363 HIV-negative patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma after radical resection were selected. Using propensity score matching, we selected 72 patients, matched 1:2 (HIV-positive:negative = 24:48). Differences in basic characteristics, HIV acquisition, perioperative serological indicators, surgical safety, oncological features, and long-term prognosis were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

Fewer patients with HIV infection underwent chemotherapy compared to patients without. HIV-positive patients had fewer preoperative and postoperative leukocytes, fewer preoperative lymphocytes, lower carcinoembryonic antigen levels, more intraoperative blood loss, more metastatic lymph nodes, higher node stage, higher tumor node metastasis stage, shorter overall survival, and shorter progression-free survival compared to patients who were HIV-negative.

CONCLUSION

Compared with CRC patients who are HIV-negative, patients with HIV infection have more metastatic lymph nodes and worse long-term survival after surgery. Standard treatment options for HIV-positive patients with CRC should be explored.

Survival Impact and Clinical Predictors of Acute Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients With Bloodstream Infection

PURPOSE

The impact of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) on outcomes of patients with bloodstream infection (BSI) has not been studied. We aim to evaluate the risk factors and survival impact of GIB on the outcome of BSI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was conducted prospectively at National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016. Patients aged ≥18 years for who BSI was confirmed by blood cultures were enrolled and followed for 90 days. Risk factors of GIB were identified by univariable and multivariable logistic regression models. The survival impact of GIB on BSI was evaluated with the Cox proportional hazards model with inverse probability of treatment weighting.

RESULTS

Of the 1034 patients with BSI, 79 (7.64%) developed acute GIB. We identified 5 independent predictors of GIB. Patients with BSI complicated with GIB had an increased 90-day mortality compared to patients without GIB (hazard ratio 1.74, 95% confidence interval: 1.14, 2.65).

CONCLUSIONS

Gastrointestinal bleeding had an adverse impact on the short-term survival in patients with BSI. The clinical predictors may help identify patients who may benefit from active prevention and treatment of GIB.

Kaposi’s sarcoma manifested as lower gastrointestinal bleeding in a HIV/HBV-co-infected liver cirrhosis patient: A case report

BACKGROUND

Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is one of the most common cancers in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients and leads to a high prevalence of morbidity and mortality. It usually appears as cutaneous or mucous lesions. Patients with visceral KS are asymptomatic and clinically silent. As the disease advances, patients may progress from a normal condition to exhibiting severe symptoms.

CASE SUMMARY

A 27-year-old man presented with a 2-mo history of fever, bearing-down pain, and rectal bleeding. His hepatitis B virus DNA level was 2.7 ×10⁷ IU/mL. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) indicated liver cirrhosis. Before he was admitted to our hospital, he was diagnosed with HIV infection. His CD4 count was 24 cells/μL. Pelvic cavity CT suggested a thickened rectum wall accompanied by multiple enlarged lymph nodes. The patient was initially treated as having haemorrhoidal varices with bleeding, telbivudine for anti-hepatitis B virus treatment, and antibiotics for anti-infection. After half a month of treatment, the patient felt that his lower lumbus ache and bearing-down pain had not improved, and a colonoscopy was conducted. The result revealed a rectal mass that was histologically confirmed as KS with rectal spindle cells that were positive for cluster of differentiation 117 (CD117), CD34, human herpes virus 8, and CD31. He was administered systemic chemotherapy with 36 mg/d liposomal doxorubicin six times. The patient experienced no sign of lower gastrointestinal bleeding again.

CONCLUSION

This case highlights the diagnosis of primary KS with lower gastrointestinal bleeding in HIV-positive patients, which means visceral KS could not be excluded. The gold standard relies on colonoscopy and biopsy findings.

HIV status and type of coronary stent placed in patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Drug-eluting stents (DES) outperform bare-metal stents (BMS) in reducing target vessel revascularization following a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Little is known about the types of stents placed in HIV-positive patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMIs).

METHODS

We used the 2003-2013 National Inpatient Sample to identify adults of 18 years or older presenting with STEMI. We evaluated differences in stent type placed following STEMIs on the basis of HIV status. Temporal trends in the use of PCI, DES, and BMS were studied on the basis of HIV status.

RESULTS

Of 1 695 947 patients with STEMI, 5887 (0.3%) were HIV-positive patients. Following STEMIs, HIV-positive patients were equally likely to have PCI compared with HIV-negative patients [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.89-1.21, P=0.63]. However, HIV-positive patients were less likely to have DES (AOR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.73-0.94, P=0.003) and more likely to have BMS (AOR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.11-1.45, P=0.001). Over the 11-year period observed, there were increases in PCI following STEMIs in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients (all Ptrend<0.001). There were significant increases in the use of DES in HIV-negative patients [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) per year: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.06-1.09, Ptrend<0.001] and significant decreases in the use of BMS (AOR per year: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.92-0.94, Ptrend<0.001). Significant trends showing changed practice patterns in the use of DES and BMS among HIV-positive patients were not observed.

CONCLUSION

Over a decade, there were significant increases in the use of PCI following STEMIs in both HIV-negative and HIV-positive patients. Although HIV-positive patients presenting with STEMIs were as likely as HIV-negative patients to undergo PCI, they were less likely to be treated with DES and more likely to receive BMS. Highlighting these observations will hopefully bring renewed attention to best practices for all STEMI patients.

Prevalence of and risk for gastrointestinal bleeding and peptic ulcerative disorders in a cohort of HIV patients from a U.S. healthcare claims database

The primary study objectives were to estimate the frequencies and rates of gastrointestinal bleeding and peptic ulcerative disorder in HIV-positive patients compared with age- and sex-matched HIV-negative subjects. Data from a US insurance claims database was used for this analysis. Among 89,207 patients with HIV, 9.0% had a GI bleed, 1.0% had an upper gastrointestinal bleed, 5.6% had a lower gastrointestinal bleed, 1.9% had a peptic ulcerative disorder diagnosis, and 0.6% had both gastrointestinal/peptic ulcerative disorder. Among 267,615 HIV-negative subjects, the respective frequencies were 6.9%, 0.6%, 4.3%, 1.4%, and 0.4% (p<0.0001 for each diagnosis subcategory). After combining effect measure modifiers into comedication and comorbidity strata, gastrointestinal bleeding hazard ratios (HRs) were higher for HIV-positive patients without comedication/comorbidity, and those with comedication alone (HR, 2.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.62-2.84; HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.47-1.71). The rate of peptic ulcerative disorder among those without a history of ulcers and no comorbidity/comedication was also elevated (HR, 2.72; 95% CI, 2.48-2.99). Hazard ratios of gastrointestinal bleeding, and peptic ulcerative disorder without a history of ulcers were lower among patients infected with HIV with comedication/comorbidity (HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.56-0.73; HR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.33-0.65). Rates of gastrointestinal bleeding plus peptic ulcerative disorder followed a similar pattern. In summary, the rates of gastrointestinal/peptic ulcerative disorder events comparing HIV-infected subjects to non-HIV-infected subjects were differential based on comorbidity and comedication status.

The changing epidemiology of HIV-infected patients in the intensive care unit

With the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), HIV has become a chronic disease. As HIV-infected patients are aging, they are at increased risk for comorbid diseases. These non-AIDS related diseases account for a growing proportion of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions in HIV-infected patients in recent studies. HIV-infected patients still present to the ICU with HIV-related conditions such as Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP), but these conditions are becoming less common. Respiratory failure remains the most common indication for ICU admission. Immune reconstitution inflammatory response syndrome and toxicities related to HAART may also result in ICU admission. While ICU survival has improved since the earliest era of the HIV epidemic, hospital mortality for HIV-infected patients admitted to the ICU remains around 30%. Risk factors for ICU mortality include poor functional status, weight loss, more than one year between HIV diagnosis and ICU admission, lower serum albumin, higher severity of illness, need for mechanical ventilation, and respiratory failure-particularly if due to PCP and accompanied by pneumothorax. The impact of HAART on ICU outcomes is unclear. HAART administration in the ICU can be challenging due to limited delivery routes, concern for viral resistance and medication toxicities. There are no data to determine the safety or efficacy of HAART initiation in the ICU. Future studies are needed to address the role of age, associated comorbidities and impact of HAART on outcomes of HIV-infected patients admitted to the ICU.

Hepatoportal sclerosis as a cause of noncirrhotic portal hypertension in patients with HIV

BACKGROUND

Hepatoportal sclerosis (HPS) is a cause of noncirrhotic portal hypertension, with patients typically presenting with variceal bleeding. It is idiopathic in nature but is felt to be due to an abnormality of the intrahepatic vasculature. HPS is characterized by varying degrees of portal fibrosis, sclerosis of portal vein branches and dilatation of sinusoidal spaces. Nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH), another cause of noncirrhotic portal hypertension, has also been recently described in HIV patients initially diagnosed as having cryptogenic liver disease.

METHODS/RESULTS

We describe four cases of HIV+ patients presenting with noncirrhotic portal hypertension; liver biopsies were reviewed by an experienced liver pathologist and found to be consistent with HPS. No other etiologies for their liver disease were found.

CONCLUSIONS

HPS has been recently identified as a cause of noncirrhotic portal hypertension in patients with HIV. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of HIV patients presenting with variceal bleeding. We postulate that it may be due to intrahepatic microthrombosis or an altered hepatic fibrogenesis related to highly active antiretroviral therapy or due to HIV itself.

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding in a patient with AIDS

BACKGROUND

A 38-year-old man with AIDS and hepatitis C was admitted to our hospital in January 2005, with complaints of epigastric pain, odynophagia, and melena of 4 days' duration. The patient was not taking highly active antiretroviral therapy because of poor compliance and he denied use of NSAIDs.

INVESTIGATIONS

Physical examination, stool guaiac test, laboratory investigations, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy with biopsies of gastric ulcerations.

DIAGNOSIS

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the stomach (diffuse large B-cell type) with associated gastric ulceration and bleeding.

MANAGEMENT

Injection of epinephrine and bipolar coagulation for the bleeding malignant ulcer, and PPI therapy.

Gastrointestinal hemorrhage: is the surgeon obsolete?

The management of GI hemorrhage has undergone tremendous evolution in recent decades. Once commonly managed by surgeons, the almost continuous introduction of new technologies and pharmacotherapies has dramatically improved clinicians' ability to identify and control sources of bleeding without surgery. Although a gastroenterologist can successfully manage most cases of GI hemorrhage endoscopically, surgical consultation remains an important consideration for the emergency physician in selected cases.

Neutralising human recombinant antibodies to human cytomegalovirus glycoproteins gB and gH

A phage antibody display library of single chain fragment variable (scFv) was applied to develop anti-HCMV glycoprotein B (gB) and glycoprotein H (gH) neutralising libraries. To enrich for specific scFvs, the phage antibody was panned against cytomegalovirus epitopes derived from the N-terminal part of gB, the C-terminal part of gB and the N-terminal part of gH (NETIYNTTLKYGDV, VTSGSTKD and AASEALDPHAFHLLLNTYGR). A number of clones were differentiated by Bst N1 fingerprinting. After isolation of specific clones against each peptide, the neutralising effect of each clone was assessed by plaque reduction assay. This resulted in the isolation of eight neutralising scFv antibodies with 51-63% neutralising effects. Sequence analysis of three neutralising clones revealed the amino acids specificity changes in heavy and light chains of antibody molecules.

[Characteristics of bleeding from esophageal-gastric varices in patients with HIV infection]

AIMS

Coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatotropic viruses (hepatitis B and C) is frequent because the routes of infection are similar. Liver disease appears earlier in these patients and progression to cirrhosis and its complications is faster. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and clinical characteristics of bleeding from esophageal-gastric varices in patients with HIV.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 258 consecutive episodes of bleeding from esophageal-gastric varices in cirrhotic patients between January 1996 and January 2001, of which 20 episodes occurred in patients with HIV (7.8%).

RESULTS

The mean age was significantly lower in patients with HIV infection and all presented hepatitis C infection. The hepatic venous pressure gradient was higher in patients with HIV (22.8 3.4 mmHg vs 19.6 5,4 mmHg; p = 0.05). No differences in the severity of liver disease (Child-Pugh), transfusion requirements, treatment performed, initial hemostasis, early recurrence, or rescue treatment with dipeptidyl peptidase I (DPPI) were found. The development of complications (bacterial infections, hepatic encephalopathy and ascites), hospital stay and mortality were also similar. Mortality was not influenced by HIV stage. Bleeding from esophageal-gastric varices in patients with HIV infection has a similar form of presentation and clinical course with treatment to that in non-cirrhotic patients, despite a higher degree of portal hypertension.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of HIV infection should not modify diagnostic or therapeutic attitudes to bleeding from esophageal-gastric varices.

Differentiation and treatment of anemia in HIV disease

Anemia is a frequent complication of HIV disease that contributes to decreased quality of life and increased morbidity and mortality. The three major categories of anemia in HIV disease are anemia due to impaired red blood cell production, anemia due to increased red blood cell destruction, and anemia due to increased red blood cell loss. Although anemia of chronic illness is the most common type of anemia in HIV disease, other classifications of anemia may be encountered. Understanding the pathophysiology of anemia and laboratory tests that are frequently used to establish the differential diagnosis of anemia helps to ensure that HIV-infected individuals will receive appropriate treatment.