Otologic and audiologic evaluation of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients.

PURPOSE: To quantify the incidence of ear disease in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a descriptive case series of HIV-positive patients, with data collected using an otologic questionnaire. otologic examination, audiologic evaluation, and chart review. The study was performed at an urban University Hospital's outpatient Infectious Disease and Otolaryngology clinics. A consecutive sample of 50 HIV-infected patients volunteered for this study. Ten subjects refused. Almost all patients received public assistance for medical care. Descriptive results were tabulated. Audiometric data were analyzed for ear, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) group, otologic complaint, and age effects. Data were compared with established norms. RESULTS: Twenty-three men and 27 women with a mean age of 40 years and mean duration of HIV disease of 3.5 years were studied. Eighteen percent of patients were in category CDC-A, 38% in CDC-B, and 44% in CDC-C. Otologic complaints were more prevalent than expected: 34% of patients reported aural fullness, 32% dizziness, 29% hearing loss, 26% tinnitus, 23% otalgia, and 5% otorrhea. Results of the neuro-otologic examination were abnormal in 33%. Tympanometric examination was abnormal in 21%. A significant degree of high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss was observed. CDC-B and CDC-C patients had worse hearing than CDC-A patients at 3 frequencies. Patients who complained of hearing loss had significantly worse otoacoustic emission results and hearing results than patients who did not, at all frequencies except 1,000 Hz. Patients in their 30s had better hearing in the speech frequencies than did all other patients. CONCLUSIONS: Ear disease affects up to 33% of HIV-infected patients. Otitis media is a frequent finding. Sensorineural hearing loss is more severe in patients with more severe HIV infection. Patients with ear complaints have demonstrable otopathology. Continuation of this preliminary descriptive work is necessary.

Avascular necrosis of bone in human immunodeficiency virus infected patients.

The objective of this article was to delineate the causes of avascular necrosis (AVN) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV-infected patients with pain in large joints were prospectively screened. Patients had radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging of their affected joints. Serum lipids, anticardiolipin antibody levels (IgG, IgM), and hemoglobin electrophoresis were performed on all patients who had radiographic studies. Medical records were screened for factors known to predispose for AVN. Eight patients completed the protocol, and five patients had AVN in seven joints. No common laboratory abnormality was identified in the patients with AVN. All of the patients with AVN had a history of steroid use; four of five patients having taken steroids for HIV-related diseases. The cause of AVN does not appear to be directly related to the disease, but to steroid treatment for manifestations of the disease.

Idiopathic esophageal ulceration in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: successful treatment with misoprostol and viscous lidocaine.

OBJECTIVE: Esophageal ulceration is a common and important cause of morbidity in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). After known causes are excluded, a subgroup remains with unexplained esophageal ulceration, known as idiopathic esophageal ulceration (IEU). The current therapy of IEU includes corticosteroids or, less frequently, thalidomide, although no placebo-controlled trials have been reported. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the outcome of treating IEU with misoprostol and viscous lidocaine. METHODS: A retrospective review of esophageal ulceration in AIDS identified seven subjects with IEU at our institution. IEU in these subjects was treated successfully with misoprostol, 200 microg, crushed and suspended in 2% viscous lidocaine, 15 ml, given orally a.c. and h.s. for 4 wk. RESULTS: All patients reported symptomatic improvement within 2-3 days and complete resolution of their symptoms within 15 days. Healing of esophageal ulcerations was confirmed in five of seven subjects at a repeat endoscopy 8-12 wk later. CONCLUSIONS: Misoprostol, an antiulcer drug, has GI cytoprotective properties, and viscous lidocaine, a topical anesthetic, coats mucosal surfaces. We speculate that misoprostol when delivered topically is 3-6 times more effective than when delivered systemically. Considering the rapid resolution of symptoms, healing of ulcers, and lack of side effects, we believe that misoprostol crushed and suspended in viscous lidocaine should be considered for further evaluation in prospective, placebo-controlled trials of IEU.

Anonymous human immunodeficiency virus surveillance and clinically directed testing in a Newark, NJ, hospital.

From September 1988 to August 1989, in a university hospital in Newark, NJ, 3529 serum and plasma specimens from patients with admitting conditions presumably not associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga, Sentinel Hospital Surveillance System criteria) were tested anonymously for the presence of type 1 HIV (HIV-1) antibody. Of these specimens, 269 (7.6%) were confirmed HIV-1 seropositive. Overall, 10.3% of male patients and 4.8% of female patients were seropositive. Persons 25 to 44 years old had the highest HIV-1 seroprevalence- 20.9% for male and 7.5% for female patients. Based on this anonymous testing, the number of HIV-infected hospitalized patients discharged in 1988 was estimated. Data on hospital-confirmed HIV-infected patients tested on the basis of clinical suspicion suggest that only 40% of HIV-infected patients were actually tested for HIV-1 infection as part of their medical care in this hospital. These data demonstrate a high prevalence of HIV infection in this patient population and suggest that hospitals serving populations with a high HIV seroprevalence offer routine screening for HIV infection as part of good medical care.

HIV-2-associated AIDS in the United States. The first case.

A 41-year-old woman from the Cape Verde Islands, Africa, who had been residing in the United States for 11 months was found to have human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2)-associated acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Antibody to HIV-2 was found by enzyme immunoassay and was verified by radioimmunoprecipitation. The patient was being treated for pulmonary tuberculosis at the time of her admission to our institution. Further laboratory and clinical evaluation at our facility revealed depressed CD4 lymphocytes, oral candidiasis, and cryptococcal meningitis with indeterminate results on serologic testing for HIV type 1 (HIV-1). The biopsy specimen of a lesion in the right occipital lobe of the brain documented Toxoplasma gondii, indicating a clinical diagnosis of AIDS. To our knowledge, our study presents the first known patient with HIV-2-associated AIDS in the United States. Our patient provides further evidence that HIV-2 causes severe immunodeficiency and opportunistic infection. The condition should be suspected in the face of normal or repeatedly equivocal HIV-1 antibody test results in the presence of clinically documented AIDS.