Kaposi-like manifestations in a newly diagnosed aids transgendered patient with silicone embolism syndrome and disseminated tuberculosis

The use of liquid silicone for cosmetic procedures can yield serious sequelae including embolization and pneumonia. We describe a recent case of silicone embolism syndrome occurring together with systemic tuberculosis in a transgendered patient newly diagnosed with AIDS. She presented with fever, hematochezia, lymphadenopathies, purple nodular lesions and lower limb edema. HIV test was positive. A chest X-Ray showed interstitial infiltrates and a tomography showed necrotic lymph nodes and pulmonary nodules with blurred borders, suggesting Kaposi sarcoma. Psychomotor impairment then occurred in the absence of tomographic signs of acute neurological events. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome was isolated from stool and bronchial washing samples. Histological examination of a necrotic lymph node showed lymphoadenopathy due to silicone accumulation. Moreover, the patient presented fever and swelling of lower limbs; a tomography showed multiple foreign body granulo-mas. After starting antitubercular, antiretroviral and antibiotic treatment she reported symptomatic improvement including a mild recovery of motor-slowing. There are few reports about silicone-induced pulmonary disease in HIV-1 infected patients and, as far as we know, none of them describes an overlapping pulmonary involvement due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Even if extensive clinical and radiologic evidence is suggestive of Kaposi sarcoma (fever, severe immunodeficiency, multiple cutaneous nodules, hematochezia, diffuse lymphoadenopathies), it is possible to see Kaposi-like manifestations in patients with systemic silicone embolization. With this article we wish to stress the attention on the possible overlap of more than one concurrent disease in an immunocompromised host.