Splenic lymphangioma in an adult

To the Editor

I have read with interest the case report by Al-Shaikh et al1 on the splenic lymphangioma in a 34-year-old Bahraini patient. It is explicit that subjects infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are more vulnerable to various tumors compared to non-immunodeficient subjects. Among these tumors, lymphangioma has been reported in HIV positive patients.2 The available data pointed out that HIV incidence per 1000 population (adults 15-49) in Bahrain is 0.06 [0.04 - 0.07].3 Despite that relatively low reported HIV incidence, the negative attitudes towards HIV/AIDS patients and substantial presence of misconceptions and erroneous beliefs, including the knowledge of mode of transmission and high risk groups among Bahraini population4 render HIV infection a potential health hazard in Bahrain. I presume that determining the HIV status by the diagnostic battery of CD4 count and viral overload measurements was solicited in the studied patient. If that diagnostic battery was contemplated and it revealed underlying HIV infection, the case in question could truly expand the spectrum of HIV-associated abdominal lymphangioma rarely reported in the literature.5

Reply from the Author

The patient was screened for HIV and she is negative for HIV.

Safa A. Al-Shaikh

Department of Pathology Salmaniya Medical Complex Ministry of Health, Manama, Bahrain