Chronic Diarrhoea as a Presentation of HIV Infection: A Case Report

Abstract

Chronic diarrhoea is predominantly defined by decreased consistency of faeces lasting more than four weeks. The differential diagnosis is vast, including various pathologies such as celiac disease, thyroid dysfunction, inflammatory or neoplastic bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic infections and immunosuppression. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is commonly associated with diarrhoea, both in its acute presentation and in the course of the disease and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of this clinical entity. We report the case of a 59-year-old male whose HIV diagnosis occurred following etiological investigation of chronic diarrhoea in primary health care. The family doctor should have a high degree of suspicion in these cases regardless of the apparent absence of behavioural risk factors for HIV infection.