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Ask the Experts about AIDS-Related Cancers

 

Lymphoma with CMV and HIV
Mar 15, 2003

A family member was recently diagnosed with EBV,CMV,Lymphoma and HIV, He has been negative for HIV until just recently. My question is can the other diagnoses cause him to seroconvert so quickly? And could the other diagnoses hidden the positive HIV?

Response from Dr. Dezube

Lymphoma, HIV, CMV, and EBV are alot of diseases to be hit with all at once. You don't mention his CD4 count, but I imagine that it must be quite low. CMV usually doesn't affect patients until the CD4 count is below 50. If his/her CD4 count is below 50, then I doubt that your family member had a recent seroconversion.

You ask if one diagnosis masks another diagnosis. This indeed can happen from time to time, though I can't necessarily comment on your family member's case. Sometimes, for instance, if a patient has known CMV disease, then the patient's fevers and weight loss are ascribed to the CMV disease, when in reality they also have a lymphoma.

The good news, is that both the CMV disease and the lymphoma should be quite treatable. I wish your family member luck.



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