HIV and Pulmonary Diseases

The spectrum of lung diseases in HIV-infected patients encompasses complications typical for HIV such as tuberculosis, bacterial pneumonia, lymphomas and HIVassociated pulmonary hypertension, but also includes typical everyday pulmonary problems like acute bronchitis, asthma, COPD and bronchial carcinomas (Table 1). Classical diseases such as PCP have become rarer as a result of HAART and chemoprophylaxis, so that other complications are on the increase (Grubb 2006). None other than acute bronchitis is the most common cause of pulmonary problems in HIV patients (Wallace 1997). However, particularly in patients with advanced immune deficiency, it is vital to take all differential diagnoses into consideration. Anamnestic and clinical appearance are often essential clues when it comes to telling the difference between the banal and the dangerous.