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  • Case Study
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Upper gastrointestinal bleeding in a patient with AIDS

Abstract

Background A 38-year-old man with AIDS and hepatitis C was admitted to our hospital in January 2005, with complaints of epigastric pain, odynophagia, and melena of 4 days' duration. The patient was not taking highly active antiretroviral therapy because of poor compliance and he denied use of NSAIDs.

Investigations Physical examination, stool guaiac test, laboratory investigations, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy with biopsies of gastric ulcerations.

Diagnosis Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the stomach (diffuse large B-cell type) with associated gastric ulceration and bleeding.

Management Injection of epinephrine and bipolar coagulation for the bleeding malignant ulcer, and PPI therapy.

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Figure 1: Endoscopic image of the gastric body of a 38-year-old male with AIDS.
Figure 2: Causes of acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in patients with HIV infection.

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Correspondence to Stuart Jon Spechler.

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Competing interests

Dr Spechler is on the Speaker's Bureau for AstraZenica, TAP and Janssen, and receives Grant Support from AstraZenica.

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Balderas, V., Jon Spechler, S. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding in a patient with AIDS. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 3, 349–353 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpgasthep0497

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpgasthep0497

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