Dermatologic manifestations among human immunodeficiency virus patients in south India

Background Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may be associated with a large number of dermatologic manifestations, which may at times constitute the presenting symptoms. These skin lesions are well delineated in the Western literature, but there is a paucity of information from the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. Objective We evaluated 833 persons with HIV to determine the types of dermatologic lesions present. Results The various lesions observed were oral candidiasis (45.0%), multidermatomal herpes zoster (11.2%), dermatophytosis of the skin (8.0%), herpes genitalis (7.7%), papular pruritic dermatitis (7.7%), staphylococcal infection of the skin (2.9%), oral hairy leukoplakia (2.3%), molluscum contagiosum (1.3%), genital warts (1.2%), and scabies (0.5%). Alopecia, intractable itching, dry skin, Addisonian pigmentation, and Kaposi's sarcoma were also noted. A correlation between the dermatologic manifestations and CD4 cell counts was found. Conclusion Although the pattern of cutaneous lesions was comparable with that from the West, there is a strikingly lower incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma.