CYTOMEGALOVIRUS-ASSOCIATED HYPOPHARYNGEAL ULCER IN A PATIENT WITH AIDS

Abstract

A 33-year-old Thai woman came to our hospital complaining of a sore throat and difficulty swallowing. Her blood test was positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). While eating lunch on the day after her admission, she vomited copious blood and was managed in the intensive care unit. On the second day of admission, the origin of bleeding was identified as a hypopharyngeal ulcer using fiberscopy. CMV inclusion bodies were later found in the tissue of the ulcer. Despite these findings, she was not treated with antiviral medicine, and she returned to Thailand about one month after the ulcer had healed. In recent years, we have examined patients complaining of various symptoms, especially ENT related symptoms, who do not know that they have an HIV infection. Although cytomegalovirus-associated ulcer of the hypopharynx is rare, ENT doctors must keep this condition in mind when caring for HIV/AIDS patients.