Benign cystic lymphoepithelial lesion of the parotid gland an unusual presentation of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

ABSTRACT

This article presents a case of a young, otherwise asymptomatic male patient with a parotid gland enlargement. The initial clinical history did not reveal any risk factors related with HIV infection. A fine needle aspiration biopsy of the lesion showed a benign cystic lymphoepithelial lesion of the parotid gland. This once unusual lesion of the salivary gland has been recently associated with infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and is presently encountered with increased frequency in the clinical practice. The knowledge of the association between these two entities led, in this case, to the diagnosis of HIV infection in an otherwise asymptomatic patient. Early detection of HIV infection is of vital importance since it has been demonstrated that prompt treatment of these patients with AZT slows down the progression of the disease