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Liver disease in aids
Author(s) -
Brettman Lee R.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.1840070238
Subject(s) - medicine , liver biopsy , histopathology , pathology , liver disease , biopsy , fibrosis , hepatitis , fatty liver , hepatitis c , gastroenterology , disease
Abnormal liver chemistries, unexplained fevers, or hepatomegaly prompted 36 liver biopsies on 34 patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syn‐drome. The most common finding was the presence of hepatic granulomas, seen in 13 of the biopsy specimens. Eight of these granulomas were illdefined, and 5 were more clearly associated with mycobacterial disesse. Portal fibrosis and fatty infiltration were comon, but a paucity of significant inflammatory activity was seen despite elevated aspartate aminotransferase levels, perhaps related to the underlying imunoincompetent status. Other noteworthy histopathologic findings included 1 patient each with peliosis hepatitis and cryptococcal hepatitis. Electron‐microscopic evidence of cytoplasmic tubular structures or viral particles were seen within the hepatocytes of 2 patients. It is concluded that a broad spectrum of hepatic histopathology may be seen in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and that liver biopsy may be diagnostically valuable in the clincial investigation of such patients.