Adrenal gland morphological alterations in the acquired immunodefficiency syndrome

Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical

Ferraz, Mara Lúcia da Fonseca¹  Teixeira, Vicente de Paula Antunes¹  Rodrigues, Denise Bertulucci Rocha¹  Spadaro, Fernanda¹  Reis, Marlene Antônia dos¹  Répele, Cibele Alvarenga¹ 

关键词: Adrenal gland;    AIDS;    Autopsy;    Opportunistic infections;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0037-86821998000300002

学科分类：农业科学（综合）

来源: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical

【 摘 要 】

In the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the adrenal glands are subject to opportunistic infections, neoplasm or direct cytopathic effect by HIV. It is know that the incidence and type of adrenal involvement vary according to the patient's place of origin. In this paper we evaluate adrenal involvement in fourteen patients that died from AIDS in the University Hospital of Uberaba, Brazil. The group studied was comprised of thirteen males and thirteen whites. The age was 29.9 ± 7.8 years, and the body mass index was 19.0 ± 4.1kg/m2. Adrenal specimens obtained from autopsies were analyzed by light microscopy. Inflammation was found in 100% of the cases and the etiologic agent(s) was (were) identified in eight (58.1%) patients. Citomegalovirus was identified in seven cases, Cryptococcus sp and Herpes simplex in two and Histoplasma sp in one case, these pathologic findings were similar to literature. We also found parenchymal calcification and adrenal central vein phlebitis in one case each. Injury was found in some cases without indentified infections agent. This fact could be due to the direct cytopathic effect by HIV, or due to toxicity of drug therapy used during treatment of AIDS and opportunistic infections.

【 授权许可】

Unknown