Differential diagnosis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients complicated with penicilliosis marneffei and those complicated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma involving abdominal lymph nodes

Objective：To investigate the differences in epidemiology, clinical and imaging characteristics between acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients complicated with penicilliosis marneffei (PSM) and those complicated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) involving abdominal lymph nodes. Methods：The epidemiology, clinical and imaging characteristics of 28 PSM patients and 22 NHL patients with AIDS confirmed by pathological diagnosis and pathogenic culture were retrospectively analyzed. Results：In AIDS patients with PSM, the CD4+ T cell count was lower, the distribution of abdominal distended lymph nodes was more extensive, and the distribution around mesenteric branches was more common. In AIDS patients with NHL, the trend of abdominal lymph node fusion was more obvious. Conclusions：The epidemiology, clinical and imaging characteristics might be used for the differential diagnosis of AIDS patients complicated with PSM and those complicated with NHL.