Efficacy of highly active antiretroviral therapy alone in the treatment of diffuse lymphocytic infiltration syndrome in an ivorian patient living with HIV: a case report

• Published in: Médecine tropicale et santé internationale Vol. 1; no. 3
• Main Authors: Cherif, I, Tsevi, Y M, Bawe, L D, Guei, C, Yao, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: France 30.09.2021
• Subjects: Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active - adverse effects; Cote d'Ivoire; HIV Infections - complications; Humans; Leukocyte Disorders - complications; Lymphocytosis - drug therapy; Middle Aged; Syndrome; Cote d'Ivoire; HIV; Abacavir; Raltegravir Antiretroviral treatment; Hospital; Ivory Coast; Lamuvidine; DILS; Abidjan; Sub-Saharan Africa
• ISSN: 2778-2034
• DOI: 10.48327/mtsibulletin.2021.118

We report in this work the efficacy of highly active antiretrovirals (ARVs) alone in the treatment of diffuse infiltrative lymphocytosis syndrome (DILS) without the use of corticosteroids, which appears risky in patients living with HIV. This is a 60-year-old HIV-positive patient, discovered during the etiological workup of renal failure, which revealed a non-nephrotic glomerular profile. The renal biopsy found an interstitial infiltrate of CD8 suggestive of DILS. Management consisted in starting ARV treatment alone (lamuvidine, abacavir and raltegravir) without associated corticosteroid therapy. The clinical evolution under treatment was marked by a recovery of the renal function with a creatininemia at 99 μmol/l, a regression of the proteinuria, a CD4 rate at 293/mm and an HIV viral load at 533.3 copies or 1.6 log in the space of 3 months. DILS is a diffuse systemic disease in HIV patients who are usually under poor virological control. In view of the strong immunosuppression and the absence of other infiltrative diseases, it appeared to us to be risky and unjustified to add a corticosteroid therapy.