Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome with a Clinical Presentation of Cytomegalovirus Infection following Chemotherapy for Malignant Lymphoma

A 69-year-old deaf-mute man received 6 cycles of R-CHOP therapy for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL)of the stomach. Although he showed a complete response to this therapeutic regimen, the patient developed intractable diarrhea upon completion of chemotherapy. He was diagnosed with cytomegalovirus(CMV)enteritis and was administered ganciclovir and foscarnet;however, CMV infection persisted. We suspected immunodeficiency other than that associated with chemotherapy-induced immunosuppression. Further examinations revealed a decrease in the CD4^+ T lymphocyte count and positive results on anti-human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)antibody testing, which confirmed HIV infection, and he was diagnosed with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS).Antiviral therapy was initiated, and the HIV-RNA viral load became undetectable;however, the CD4^+ T lymphocyte count recovery was insufficient. Despite the clinical presentation of an AIDS-indicator disease, diagnosis of HIV infection was delayed, which may be attributable to deaf-mutism and the patient’s advanced age that may have led to bias among the medical staff and prevented prompt diagnosis of HIV infection.