<unk>  <unk>  or<unk><unk>  syndrome (IRS) is a condition seen in some cases of AIDS or<unk> suppression, in which the<unk>  system begins to recover, but then responds to a previously acquired opportunistic infection with an overwhelming inflammatory response that paradoxically makes the symptoms of infection worse.
The suppression of CD4 T cells by HIV (or by<unk> suppressive drugs) causes a decrease in the body's normal response to certain infections. Not only does this make it more difficult to fight the infection; it may mean that a level of infection that would normally produce symptoms is instead undetected (subclinical infection). If the CD4 count rapidly increases (due to effective treatment of HIV, or removal of other causes of<unk> suppression), a sudden increase in the inflammatory response produces nonspecific symptoms such as fever, and in some cases a worsening of damage to the infected tissue.
Though these symptoms can be dangerous, they also indicate that the body may now have a better chance to defeat the infection. The most common treatment is to administer antibiotic or antiviral drugs against the infectious organism, and in some cases corticosteroids to suppress inflammation until the infection has been eliminated.
Infections most commonly associated with<unk>  include cytomegalovirus, herpes zoster, Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), Pneumocystis pneumonia, and tuberculosis. AIDS patients are more at risk for<unk>  if they are starting HAART for the first time, or if they have recently been treated for an opportunistic infection. It is generally advised that when patients have low initial CD4 T cell count and opportunistic infection at the time of their HIV diagnosis, they receive treatment to control the opportunistic infections before HAART is initiated.<unk>  has been described in<unk> competent hosts who have meningitis caused by Cryptococcus gattii and Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii, environmental fungi which often affect<unk> competent hosts. Several weeks or even months into appropriate treatment, there is a sudden onset deterioration with worsening meningitis symptoms and progression or development of new neurological symptoms.
Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome
Systemic inflammatory response syndrome
Macrophage-activation syndrome
DRESS syndrome
AIDS-related complex
COVID-19-associated acute kidney injury
COVID-19-associated coagulopathy
COVID-19-associated neutrophilia