Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome-associated Burkitt lymphoma after combination antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients.

HIV/AIDS-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is defined as a paradoxical worsening or unmasking of infections and autoimmune diseases, following initiation of combination anti-retroviral therapy (cART). More recently, the case definition of IRIS has been broadened to include certain malignancies including Kaposi’s sarcoma, and less frequently Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Here in we describe 3 patients infected with HIV who began cART and within a median of 15 weeks each achieved non-detectable HIV viral loads, and yet within 6 months presented for medical attention with fevers, night sweats, weight loss and bulky lymphadenopathy.