Vasculitides in the context of HIV infection.
Vasculitides are a rare but major manifestation of HIV infection, with an incidence of less than 1%, excluding adverse drug reactions. A wide spectrum of vasculitides have been found in association with HIV infection, reflecting almost every pattern and type of vasculitis of small, medium and large vessels. Vasculitis in HIV-infected patients can arise as a result of infection with a known pathogen or in response to a triggering factor, but may also arise in the absence of any identifiable cause. Although the vasculitides seen in HIV infection are varied, one feature--namely inflammation of the vessel wall--is common to all. Various pathogenic mechanisms have been implicated in the induction of vasculitis, including cell-mediated inflammation, immune complex-mediated inflammation and autoantibody-mediated inflammation. This review will focus on some of those vasculitides that have been described in HIV-infected patients, and will discuss the association of atherosclerosis with vasculitides.
Guillevin, Service de Medicine Interne, Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France. loic.guillevin@cch.ap-hop-paris-fr
Loic
L
Guillevin
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000276:immunology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D020293:Vasculitis, Central Nervous System / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology