The evolution of Hansen’s Disease in eleven patients with AIDS

Abstract

The Hansen’s Disease (HD) and AIDS are important problems of public healthin Brazil. This work aims to verify the incidence of co-infection for HIV and AIDS in a group ofpatients with Hansen’s disease. 620 sick people of Hansen’s disease were examined, with orwithout reactional state, in the period from 1987 to 1997. After assent, they were submitted tothe ELISA test, for HIV; the positives were confi rmed by the Western Blot, treated and followed.Eleven sick people (1.8%) with HIV were diagnosed. This work describes the evolution of thisgroup of sick people, the clinical, therapeutical and histologic aspects, the reactional statesand the reply to the antigen of Mitsuda. Conclusions: 1. The technique of Elisa for diagnosisof the HIV is safe to the HD patients. 2. The reactional states of the HD did not interfered withthe result of ELISA and Western Blot. 3. Patients with positive Mitsuda test can become lesspositive with the immunosuppression of the HIV, what indicates gradual reduction of specifi c resistanceagainst the Hansen’s Bacil, suggesting that the HIV and the AIDS promote modifi cationof the specifi c cellular resistance to the Bacil. 4. Probably, the infection of the HIV can reducethe incubation period of the HD. 5. Paucibacilar patients and carriers of the HIV+, adequatelytreated against the HD, do not present recidivation after the installation of the AIDS.