Book Review: A Clinical Guide to Supportive and Palliative Care for HIV/AIDS

Abstract

Multiple causes of abdominal pain occur in HIV/AIDS. Common ones include: • Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) spasm related to gastroenteritis • Pancreatitis (especially in patients on NRTIs) • Intra-abdominal lymphadenopathy (TB, lymphoma) • Kaposi’s sarcoma of the GIT (look for skin or mucosal lesions) • Sclerosing cholangitis (sometimes resulting in hepatitis and cholecystitis) • Gynaecological related pain (severe pelvic inflammatory disease, tuboovarian or pelvic abscesses) • Non-HIV-related causes (common surgical conditions like appendicitis) • Cytomegalovirus (CMV) • Herpetic ulcers