Histoplasmosis: differentiation from tuberculosis in the context of AIDS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5935/2764-734X.e20230119Keywords:
Histoplasmosis, AIDS-related opportunistic infections, Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, Diagnosis, Differential, Case reportAbstract
Histoplasmosis and tuberculosis are highly endemic in Brazil and have similar clinical and radiological manifestations, which can lead to diagnostic errors. In this report, we describe the case of a patient living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) for 12 years, who abandoned treatment for two years, and was presumptively diagnosed and treated for tuberculosis six months ago. However, due to the worsening of his symptoms, he was hospitalized and diagnosed with febrile wasting syndrome associated with severe sore throat, skin lesions, nodules in the larynx, and miliary micronodular pulmonary infiltrate. The diagnosis of histoplasmosis was confirmed by identifying the fungus in the biopsies, culturing clinical specimens, and detecting serum antibodies. The patient responded well to treatment with amphotericin B and was discharged on itraconazole and antiretroviral therapy.
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