Diseases associated with HIV infection: study of biopsies and surgical resection specimens at a large general hospital in Mexico City

The objective of this study was to analyze the type of diseases associated with HIV infection from a survey of the surgical pathology material accessioned at a large general hospital in Mexico City. From the archives of the pathology unit of the General Hospital of Mexico (Ministry of Health), we compiled data on biopsies and surgical specimen from different organs and tissues of HIV-infected patients (HIV/AIDS) received in the period from January 2005 to July 2008. We found a total of 52 cases, 41 men and 11 women. The main affected anatomical organ was the lymphatic nodes in 33 cases (63.4%), 7 corresponded to the digestive tract (13.46), 3 corresponded to bone marrow (5.76%), 3 corresponded to the perianal region (5.76%), 2 cases corresponded to the hard palate (3.84%), and 1 case each corresponded to the following regions: peritoneum, breast, and lung. The most frequent diagnoses were non–Hodgkin's large B-cell lymphoma in 11 cases (21.12%) and its morphological variants, 8 reactive lymphadenopathy cases (15.38%), 5 atypical mycobacterioses (9.61%), 2 nonspecific granulomatous lesions (3.84%), 2 Burkitt's lymphoma (3.84%), 3 Kaposi sarcoma (5.76%), 1 mixed cellularity Hodgkin's lymphoma (1.92%), 1 Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (1.92%), and 1 with infection by cytomegalovirus + cryptosporidiosis in the duodenum (1.92%). In this series, the most affected organ in patients with HIV/AIDS was the lymphatic nodes. The most common neoplasm was the non–Hodgkin's lymphoma followed by Kaposi sarcoma. Mycobacterioses were the main infectious diseases, followed by mycotic and viral infections.