Complicated Cytomegalovirus colitis in a person living with HIV

In patients with Acquired İmmunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can cause high-morbidity and high-mortality clinical conditions due to end-organ involvement. One of the affected organs is the gastrointestinal system. Particularly, late-diagnosed, advanced-stage “people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)” (PLWH) constitute a high-risk population. Our case was a 41-year-old male PLWH. He had fever, loss of appetite, bloody diarrhea, and widespread lower abdominal pain. Laboratory tests were as follows: HIV RNA: 401,700 IU/mL and CD4+ T lymphocyte count: 100/μL. Colonoscopy performed to investigate the etiology of diarrhea revealed polypoid structures, mucosal edema, and widespread ulcers throughout the lumen from the sigmoid colon to the mid-transverse colon. CMV PCR from biopsy samples obtained during colonoscopy was found to be 83 million copies/mL. Immunohistochemical staining of the biopsy material confirmed CMV positivity. In this case report, it was aimed to present a case of CMV colitis in PLWH