Adult respiratory distress syndrome as a severe immune reconstitution disease following the commencement of highly active antiretroviral therapy

We report a patient who developed adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to Mycobacterium tuberculosis as an immune reconstitution disease. This complication occurred 14 days after the commencement of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for advanced HIV infection. The case emphasises that immune reconstitution can be an extremely aggressive complication of HAART.