Cardiac Involvement in Pediatrics Aids

pp 101-107

Abstract

The objective of this study was to report the myocardial findings in autopsies of children with AIDS, due to the lack of this kind of information descriptions in our country. Seventeen children dead dueto from AIDS were studied (4 months to 9 years; 11males).Myocardial sections were processed for immunohistochemistry (TUNEL method, PCNA, cellular immuno typification and p24), and were stained with hematoxilineosin, Azan, Ziehl-Niel-sen, Grocott, Gram, and Giemsa. Myocardial involvement was observed in all cases, but specific diagnosis of myocarditis was obtained only in 3 cases by CMV, T cruzi in1 and Candida pericarditis in another case.Hypertrophy was found in7cases; interstitial edema in 9; high endothelial venules (HEV) in 8, and prominent venous dilation in 2 cases. Bi and/or trinucleation of myocardial cells was seen in 12cases and recent subendocardial necrosis in 2cases. Anti-HIV immunostaining was negative in all cases. In the group older than 6 months (13 cases) PCNA positive myocardial cells were found in 2 cases (with binucleation and HEV\ 1 case).Presence of HEV was related to apoptosis 2/4+. In our casuistry we did not find any coronary involvement. This is the first report describing HEV in myocardium in relation to AIDS. Our findings do not differ from those reported in the literature with the exception of the absence of coronary involvement, the presence of HEV and bi and/or trinucleation in myocites which opens new questions about its relevance.