Reações hansênicas em pacientes coinfectados com HIV/Hanseníase: Clínica e ibmunopatologia

Abstract

Brazil is one of the few countries remaining endemic for infection for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and leprosy, and these diseases have a major impact on social costs and on quality of life. Although it is recognized the importance of this co-infection, various aspects are not fully understood yet. This study aims to describe the clinical, histopathological and immunopathological aspects of reactional states of patients coinfected HIV/leprosy, comparing them to leprosy patients without HIV. Were followed two groups: (1) 40 patients coinfected with HIV/leprosy, (2) consists of 107 leprosy patients. Prevailed male subjects in both groups. In Group 1, the majority were paucibacillary (70%), as borderline tuberculoid (45%) and with less risk of having lepra reaction in relation to non-coinfected. All of coinfected who had lepra reaction (n = 15) were taking antiretroviral therapy (ART), and most in the aids status (n = 14), being Immune Reconstitution Syndrome (IRS) a clinical condition markedly important in many of these patients (n=7). In the group of non-coinfected, the pattern of infection was the majority multibacillary (80.4%), type borderline-borderline (40.2%), and higher relative risk of presenting lepra reactions (p = 0.0026). The reversal reaction was the most common in both groups. In the coinfected group were observed skin lesions with aspect according to expected for each clinical form, in general, erythematous infiltrated with similar evolution to non-coinfected. The dermal edema was the most common histopathological findings in both groups. In group 1, giant cells were found in all histopathological and in greater quantity (2 +) and large size. The morphology of erythema nodosum leprosum no presented significant differences between groups, as well as the expression of IL-1􀈕 and IL-6. This study confirms the hypothesis that clinical and immunopathological aspects of reactions in these patients is an inflammatory active status, not of anergy, similar to that found in non-coinfected.