Immune reconstitution syndrome in an AIDS patient with disseminated tuberculosis

Abstract

Tuberculosis is a risk factor in patients with AIDS, because once the retroviral treatment begins they can develop an immune reconstitution syndrome that would favor the deterioration of their clinical status. The case of a male patient, aged 24 years is presented. He was diagnosed with AIDS four years ago, and was irregularly treated with antiretroviral.  The patient assisted the Clinic-surgical University Hospital “Comandante Faustino Pérez Hernández” with high fever accompanied by general characteristics, respiratory manifestations and right inguinal pain. At the physical examination, generalized adenic characteristics were found. A syndrome of immune reconstitution was diagnosed in an AIDS patient with disseminated tuberculosis; the patient died in spite of the imposed therapy. This syndrome is characterized by the gradual restoration of the pathogen-specific immunity, where the immune system is able of recognizing the pathogens that are present but clinically hidden. It is associated to other risk facts and may be lethal; therefore the timely recognition of the patients at high risk of suffering it, and also an adequate management about when to begin the anti-retroviral therapy in each specific case, is the unique way of preventing its development.