Avascular necrosis of bone in human immunodeficiency virus infection and antiphospholipid antibodies

We describe 3 cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in serum who developed avascular necrosis (AVN), an association that to our knowledge, has rarely been described. Given that the 3 patients had stopped their intravenous drug addiction 2 years before the clinical picture appeared, and none had any known risk factors for developing AVN, there may be an association, perhaps fortuitous, between HIV infection, the presence of aPL and the development of AVN.