DISSEMINATED INTRAVASCULAR COAGULATION ASSOCIATED WITH DISSEMINATED CRYPTOCOCCOSIS IN A PATIENT WITH ACQUIRED-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-SYNDROME

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is uncommon in acquired i mmunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), despite the high incidence of infecti ous diseases. We describe an HIV-infected patient presenting with diss eminated cryptococcosis, who had clear-cut laboratory evidence of prog ressively worsening DIC (thrombocytopenia, prolonged prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time, hypofibrinogenemia, increased fibrin( ogen) degradation products and D-Dimer, reduced antithrombin 111), alt hough the clinical signs of the disease were rather scarce. The patien t died despite intense treatment, which included heparin and fresh fro zen plasma, and DIC was confirmed histologically. It is suggested that , in a patient with AIDS presenting with an opportunistic infection, l aboratory signs of DIC should be carefully checked to early recognize this complication and promptly initiate the required therapy.