Armand G. Cacciarelli, MD

Cough, fever, diarrhea, and weight loss had disturbed a 52-year-old woman for 1 month. AIDS had been diagnosed 5 years earlier, but she had declined medical treatment. The patient's vital signs were stable when she was admitted to the hospital. Physical examination results were unremarkable except for thrush and mild, diffuse abdominal tenderness.

A 2-week history of diarrhea mixed with bright red blood was the presenting complaint of a 40-year-old man who was seropositive for HIV. Stool studies and culture results were negative for microorganisms. Colonoscopy demonstrated only the raised vascular lesion seen here in the sigmoid colon, which may have been responsible for the bleeding.