Diffuse cerebral microbleeds in a patient with HIV and disseminated intravascular coagulation

Abstract

Hypoxemia and critical illnesses such as sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) are possible causes of massive microbleeds in the brain parenchyma [1]. We report a patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) showing extensive cerebral microbleeds. A 59-year-old man presented with generalized tonic-clonic seizures. After admission, he was diagnosed with HIV infection while evaluating for pneumonia. Ten days after antiretroviral therapy (ART), DIC occurred as a result of pneumo-