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Fluctuating anaemia in treated HIV patients: could be a PICA?

Therapie (2013-03-15)
Faiza Ajana, Armelle Pasquet, Marine Auffret, Sophie Gautier
ABSTRACT

HIV infected patients are frequently exposed to anaemia, due to antiretroviral agents and/or prophylactic treatment of opportunistic infections. Anemia due to PICA, unusually evoked in our western countries, could be a more frequent situation than imagined. We report two cases of fluctuating anemia with no HIV or iatrogenic origin, observed in two HIV infected women, 47 years old and 33 years old respectively, coming from Africa and treated with antiretroviral agents. The anemia was explained by a culturally sanctioned practice of kaolin ingestion, in the broader context of PICA and resolved after the withdrawal of kaolin ingestion. PICA, and in particular kaolin ingestion, must be investigated when HIV infected patients came from Africa and presented significative unexplained anemia.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich
Kaolin
Sigma-Aldrich
Halloysite nanoclay
Sigma-Aldrich
Kaolin, heavy, powder
Sigma-Aldrich
Kaolin, meets USP testing specifications
Sigma-Aldrich
Kaolin, tested according to Ph. Eur.