Summary
Fifty consecutive AIDS autopsy cases were evaluated. All subjects showed one or more opportunistic infections and malignancies included in the AIDS case definition with cytomegalovirus and Kaposi's sarcoma being most prevalent. Mycobacterial and cryptococcal infections occurred only infrequently. Most patients of our series after successful treatment ofPneumocystis carinii pneumonia or cerebral toxoplasmosis later succumbed to less treatable conditions like disseminated cytomegalovirus or fungal infections or malignant lymphoma. In the absence of specific treatment for the HIV infection leading to these lethal complications special emphasis must be put on the prevention of HIV transmission and spread.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- AIDS:
-
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
- CDC:
-
Centers for Disease Control
- CMV:
-
Cytomegalovirus
- CNS:
-
Central nervous system
- HIV:
-
Human immunodeficiency virus
- KS:
-
Kaposi's sarcoma
- ML:
-
Malignant lymphoma
- PCP:
-
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia
References
Brandicourt O, Datry A, Rozenbaum W, et al. (1986) Cryptococcose et SIDA: A propos de 11 observations. Bull Soc Mycol Med 15:349–352
Brodt HR, Helm EB, Werner A, et al. (1986) Spontanverlauf der LAV/HTLV-III-Infektion. Dtsch Med Wochenschr 111:1175–1180
Burns BF, Wood GS, Dorfman RF (1985) The varied histopathology of lymphadenopathy in the homosexual male. Am J Surg Pathol 9:287–291
Centers for Disease Control (1986) Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). WHO/CDC case definition for AIDS. Wkly Epid Rec 61:69–76
Cleary ML, Sklar J (1984) Lymphoproliferative disorders in cardiac transplant recipients are multiclonal lymphomas. Lancet II:489–495
DeJarlais DC, Marmor M, Thomas P, et al. (1984) Kaposi's sarcoma among four different AIDS risk groups. N Engl J Med 310:1119
Enzensberger W, Helm EB, Hopp G, et al. (1985) Toxoplasmoseenzephalitis bei Patienten mit AIDS. Dtsch Med Wochenschr 110:83–87
Falk S, Müller H, Schmidts HL, Stutte HJ (1986) Morphologische Befunde bei Lymphadenopathiesyndrom (LAS) und erworbenem Immundefektsyndrom (AIDS). Dtsch Med Wochenschr 110:714–718
Genoglio CM, McDougall JK (1984) The relationship of cytomegalovirus to Kaposi's sarcoma. In: Friedman-Kien AE, Laubenstein LS (eds) AIDS. The epidemic of Kaposi's sarcoma and opportunistic infections. Masson, New York, pp 329–336
Gottlieb MS, Schroff R, Schanker HM, et al. (1981)Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and mucosal candidiasis in previously healthy homosexual men: evidence of a new acquired cellular immunodeficiency. N Engl J Med 305:1425–1431
Hashimoto H, Müller H, Falk S, Stutte HJ (1986) Immunhistochemische Untersuchungen und in situ Hybridisierung am Kaposi-Sarkom bei erworbenem Immundefektsyndrom (AIDS). Verh Dtsch Ges Pathol 70:420
Helm EB, Jötten A (1986) AIDS in Frankfurt/Main, Stand 30.6.86. In: Helm EB, Stille W, Vanek E (eds) AIDS II. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Infektiologie. Zuckschwerdt, München, pp 52–56
Hui AN, Koss MN, Meyer PR (1984) Necropsy findings in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: a comparison of premortem diagnoses with postmortem findings. Hum Pathol 15:670–676
Kovacs JA, Kovacs AA, Polis M, et al. (1985) Cryptococcosis in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Ann Int Med 103:353–358
Macher AM, Kovacs JA, Gill V, et al. (1983) Bacteremia due toMycobacterium avium intracellulare in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Ann Int Med 99:782–785
Marchevsky A, Rosen MJ, Chrystal G, et al. (1985) Pulmonary complications of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: a clinicopathologic study of 70 cases. Hum Pathol 16:659–670
Moskowitz L, Hensley GT, Chan JK, Adams K (1985) Immediate cause of death in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Arch Pathol Lab Med 109:735–738
Moskowitz LB, Hensley GT, Gould EW, Weiss SD (1985) Frequency and anatomic distribution of lymphadenopathic Kaposi's sarcoma in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: an autopsy series. Hum Pathol 16:447–456
Müller H, Iwasaki H, Schneider M, et al. (1983) Kaposi-Sarkom bei erworbenem Immundefektsyndrom. Verh Dtsch Ges Pathol 67:741
Niedt GW, Schinella PA (1985) Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Clinicopathologic study of 56 autopsies. Arch Pathol Lab Med 109:727–734
Redfield RR, Wright DC, Tramont EC (1986) The Walter Reed staging classification for HTLV-III/LAV-infection. N Engl J Med 314:131–135
Reichert CM, O'Leary TJ, Levens DL, Simrell CR, Macher AM (1983) Autopsy pathology in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Am J Pathol 112:357–382
Schmidts HL, Müller H, Falk S, et al. (1986) Obduktionsbefunde beim erworbenen Immundefektsyndrom (AIDS). Pathologe 7:8–21
Seligmann M, Chess L, Fahey JL, et al. (1984) AIDS — an immunologic reevaluation. N Engl J Med 311:1286–1290
Shelhamer JH, Ognibene FP, Macher AM, et al. (1984) Persistence ofPneumocystis carinii in lung tissue of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients treated for pneumocystis pneumonia. Am Rev Resp Dis 130:1161–1165
Welch K, Finkbeiner W, Alpers CE, et al. (1984) Autopsy findings in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. JAMA 252:1151–1159
Ziegler JL, Beckstead JA, Volberding PA, et al. (1984) Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 90 homosexual men. N Engl J Med 311:565–570
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Falk, S., Schmidts, H.L., Müller, H. et al. Autopsy findings in AIDS — A histopathological analysis of fifty cases. Klin Wochenschr 65, 654–663 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01875500
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01875500