Abstract

LAGUADO V, Luis Daniel et al. Endoscopic and Pathological Findings in Patients with HIV and Digestive Symptoms at a University Hospital. Rev Col Gastroenterol [online]. 2016, vol.31, n.2, pp.111-118. ISSN 0120-9957.

Introduction: Although the gastrointestinal tract is frequently affected by HIV, in clinical practice abnormalities related to HIV often appear to be normal when seen through an endoscope. The consequence is that these patients do not receive timely treatment for gastrointestinal diseases. Methods: This is an observational study of HIV patients who came to the hospital of the Universidad Industrial de Santander because of digestive symptoms that required either endoscopy or colonoscopy, or both ,during 2014. Socio-demographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected. A total of 41 upper endoscopies and 29 colonoscopies were performed in 54 patients. Biopsies were taken and analyzed in all cases. Results: The mean patient age was 39 years old, the most frequent digestive symptoms were diarrhea and oral lesions, 87% of these patients had CD4 counts below 200, and only 24% currently receive HAART. The most frequent diagnoses were: esophageal candidiasis (17%), moderate chronic gastritis in the stomach (26.7%), and moderate chronic nonspecific colitis in the left colon (44.8%) and in the right colon (51.7%). Conclusions: Endoscopic and pathological findings are consistent with the frequencies of presentations of gastrointestinal pathologies reported in the literature except that no tumors or infectious agents such as mycobacteria were found. The most common opportunistic infections were Candida and Cytomegalovirus. Diagnostic agreement between the endoscopist and pathologist varied. There was had only fair agreement for the esophagus, but there were large disparities for the stomach and colon. Consequently, when HIV/AIDS patients require endoscopy, it is important that the protocol call for biopsy samples and analysis.

Keywords : Digestive System; endoscopy; HIV infections; HIV enteropathy.

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