AIDS enteropathy

AIDS enteropathy

AIDS An AIDS-related condition, defined by the absence of microorganisms which, when seen in AIDS-related complex, may presage clinical AIDS Clinical Diarrhea, often worse at night, weight loss, occasionally fever and possibly malnutrition with impaired d-xylose absorption Pathology Partial villous atrophy with crypt hyperplasia in the small intestine, viral inclusions, ↓ plasma cells and ↑ intraepithelial lymphocytes in the large and small intestine See Gay bowel disease.

AIDS enteropathy

A form of MALABSORPTION suffered by some people with AIDS. The small intestine lining shows blunting of the villi and a reduction in the rate of reproduction of lining cells. The condition is probably caused by invasion by HIV or by a general immune system dysfunction. About a quarter of all the body's lymphatic tissue is in the intestine.