AIDS Research and Therapy (Jul 2020)

Human immunodeficiency virus-associated vacuolar encephalomyelopathy with granulomatous-lymphocytic interstitial lung disease improved after antiretroviral therapy: a case report

  • Kazumasa Akagi,
  • Kazuko Yamamoto,
  • Asuka Umemura,
  • Shotaro Ide,
  • Tatsuro Hirayama,
  • Takahiro Takazono,
  • Yoshifumi Imamura,
  • Taiga Miyazaki,
  • Noriho Sakamoto,
  • Hirokazu Shiraishi,
  • Hideaki Takahata,
  • Yoshiaki Zaizen,
  • Junya Fukuoka,
  • Minoru Morikawa,
  • Kazuto Ashizawa,
  • Katsuji Teruya,
  • Koichi Izumikawa,
  • Hiroshi Mukae

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12981-020-00295-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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Abstract Background Vacuolar encephalomyelopathy, a disregarded diagnosis lately, was a major neurological disease in the terminal stages of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection in the pre-antiretroviral therapy (ART) era. Granulomatous-lymphocytic interstitial lung disease (GLILD) was classically identified as a non-infectious complication of common variable immunodeficiency; however, it is now being recognized in other immunodeficiency disorders. Here, we report the first case of GLILD accompanied by vacuolar encephalomyelopathy in a newly diagnosed HIV-infected man. Case presentation A 40-year-old Japanese man presented with chronic dry cough and progressing paraplegia. Radiological examination revealed diffuse pulmonary abnormalities in bilateral lungs, focal demyelinating lesions of the spinal cord, and white matter lesions in the brain. He was diagnosed with GLILD based on marked lymphocytosis detecting in bronchoalveolar lavage, and transbronchial-biopsy proven T-cellular interstitial lung disease with granulomas. Microbiological examinations did not reveal an etiologic agent. The patient was also diagnosed with HIV-associated vacuolar encephalomyelopathy on the basis of an elevated HIV viral load in cerebrospinal fluid. After initiating ART, the brain lesions and paraplegia improved significantly, and interstitial abnormalities of the lungs and cough disappeared. Conclusion This report highlights that even in the post-ART era in developed countries with advanced healthcare services, HIV-associated vacuolar encephalomyelopathy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a progressive neurological disorder during the first visit. Furthermore, GLILD may represent an HIV-associated pulmonary manifestation that can be treated by ART.

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