Vasculitides in HIV Infection

To review the spectrum of vasculitides in HIV-infected patients and to identify the clinical features that characterize vasculitis in sero-positive HIV.

Epidemiological studies conducted in the post-HAART era described the rarity of vasculitis in the setting of HIV-infected patients. A study identified histopathological features such as leukocytoclastic vasculitis of the vasa vasorum and adventitial inflammation in the large artery pathology of HIV-positive patients compared with HIV-negative patients with critical lower limb ischemia. A recent retrospective cohort study reported that HIV-positive patients with LVV developed more vascular complications, responded less to antiretroviral therapy, and had worse outcome than HIV-negative patients with LVV. Vasculitides continue to be a rare disease in patients with HIV. The spectrum of vasculitis ranges from life-threatening conditions to relatively mild skin conditions. Recognizing vasculitis in the setting of HIV-positive patients is important because sometimes it require immunosuppressive treatment.