The manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are prot
ean and vasculitides are one of the less common but nonetheless important c
onsequences. A wide range of vasculitides can be encountered, ranging from
vasculitis resulting from specific infective agents to a non-specific vascu
litis. Among the infective causes, cytomegalovirus and tuberculosis are pro
bably the most common. A polyarteritis nodosa-like vasculitis with importan
t differences to classic polyarteritis nodosa is also described, Hypersensi
tivity vasculitis resulting in several patterns of vasculitis and angiocent
ric immunoproliferative vasculitis are well recognised. As part of the immu
nocompromise caused by HIV, a granulomatous inflammation involving small ar
teries and veins of the brain surface and leptomeninges, termed a primary a
ngiitis of the central nervous system, is a rare vasculitis associated with
high mortality, A recently described large vessel (aorta, femorals, caroti
ds) vasculopathy resulting in either multiple aneurysm formation or occlusi
ve disease is seen in young adults, An infective agent is not found but aet
iologically some of these lesions might be the result of a leucocytoclastic
vasculitis of vasa vasora or periadventitial vessels. A final group of non
specific vasculitides not fitting into any of the characteristic patterns d
escribed accounts for the residue of vasculitides associated with HIV.