Pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with HIV/AIDS in Iran

Pulmonary tuberculosis is still the most common form of tuberculosis in HIV infected patients having different presentations according to the degree of immunosuppression. This study appraised the impact of HIV infection on clinical, laboratory and radiological presentations of tuberculosis. The clinical, laboratory and radiological presentations of pulmonary TB in 56 HIV-infected patients were compared with 56 individually sex and age matched HIV-seronegative ones, admitted to Imam Hospital in Tehran [1999-2006] using paired t-test in a case control study. All cases and the controls were male. Fever was found in 83.9% of the HIV positive patients compared to 80% of the HIV negative ones. Cough was the most common clinical finding in the HIV negative group [89.3% vs. 82.1% in HIV positive group]. Among radiological features, cavitary lesions, upper lobe and bilateral pulmonary involvement were observed significantly less often in the HIV-infected group. On the contrary, lymphadenopathy was just present in the HIV positive group in this series of patients [12%] and primary pattern tuberculosis was more common, as well [71% vs. 39%, P= 0.02]. The Tuberculin test was reactive in 29% of the HIV/TB patients. The coexistence of both infections alters the picture of tuberculosis in many aspects and should be taken into account when considering a diagnosis of HIV infection and its potential for TB co-infection, and vice-versa

[ study of the prevalence of skin tumors in chemically injured patients in comparison with the general population]

Background: During Iran-Iraq war between the years 1980-1988, several chemical warefare agents were used which the most common was Mustard gas [SM]. The side effects of mutation and tumor-formation of sulfur mustard in human beings and animals are well described. The aim of current study is to determine the late-onset complications in Iranian veterans exposed by SM in formation of skin tumors

Materials and methods: During this retrospective descriptive-analytic study, 9605 chemically injured patients who were examined by dermatologists and their characteristics were studied

Results: Sixty-two out of 9605 of chemically injured patients exposed to sulfur mustard after 10-15 years from exposure had skin tumors. Four of them were malignant and diagnosed as BCC and the others were benign. Lipoma and Becker nevus where the most common benign lesions

Conclusions: The results showed that no significant difference between prevalence of BCC in the chemically injured patients and the general population based on previous reports and as far as the age range and frequency of exposure was considered[P>0.05]