ABSTRACT
Deficits in cell-mediated immunity in AIDS result in a wide variety of hepatic complications,
including granulomas, cytomegalovirus hepatitis, multimicrobial AIDS cholangiopathy,
Kaposi's sarcoma, and lymphoma. Kupffer cells are the major hepatic target cell population
for human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1), and rhesus monkeys with simian immunodeficiency
virus infection have served as a model for ultrastructural analysis of viral clearance
by these cells. The majority of patients with established AIDS reveal abnormalities
on serum liver tests. In these individuals, the differential diagnosis includes opportunistic
infections and neoplasms, as well as possible concomitant chronic viral hepatitis
B, C, D, and G, and drug hepatotoxicity. This article reviews the spectrum of hepatic
pathology in AIDS and discusses the effects of HIV-1 infection on hepatitis virus
infections.
KEY WORDS
viral hepatitis - liver biopsy - acquired immune deficiency syndrome - AIDS - liver
pathology
