Mucocutaneous manifestations and the relationship to CD4 lymphocyte counts among Turkish HIV/AIDS patients in İstanbul, Turkey

Abstract

Background/aim: Dermatologic findings differ among countries but no sufficient data about Turkish HIV-infected patients exist in the literature. Therefore, our aim in this study was to document the dermatologic manifestations and their relationships with CD4 cell counts among HIV/AIDS patients visiting our clinic for the first time in İstanbul, Turkey. Materials and methods:A retrospective analysis of 306 HIV/AIDS patients (260 men, mean age: 38.3 years) was done in a tertiary hospital in İstanbul from January 2006 to September 2012. Information on age, sex, transmission routes, socioeconomic and educational status, CD4 counts, and dermatologic findings was collected retrospectively from medical records. Results:Our analyses revealed at least 1 dermatologic disease in 111 of the 306 (36.2%) patients. Mean CD4 count of the patients was 393.64 cells/mm3 (range: 4-1270 cells/mm 3 ). Oral candidiasis (12.4%), herpes zoster (5.9%), dermatophytosis (5.4%), hyperpigmentation (5.2%), and folliculitis (4.6%) were the most common skin problems. Statistically significant correlation (P < 0.05) with low CD4 cell counts was found for oral candidiasis, folliculitis, herpes zoster, hyperpigmentation, xerosis, and Kaposi's sarcoma. Conclusion:Dermatologic manifestations in this study were identical to those described in most studies from Asia, and there were more manifestations as the HIV infection progressed and immune functions declined.

Mucocutaneous manifestations in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐infected patients in Nouakchott, Mauritania

“…Some dermatological signs and symptoms suggest the diagnosis of HIV infection, such as shingles in young adults and disseminated prurigo, whereas others have diagnostic value, such as oral hairy leukoplakia, or prognostic value, such Kaposi's sarcoma, indicating an advanced stage of the disease . Different studies have been attempting to establish a correlation between CD 4 T cell counts and systemic changes . HIV‐positive patients may present a variety of dermatologic manifestations …”

Correlation between CD4 cell counts with mucocutaneous manifestations: study of HIV patients in Dr. Sardjito General Hospital, Yogyakarta

“…4,9 Unsafe sex was the highest risk factor of HIV transmission in this study. Aydin et al 5 reported the main risk of HIV transmission among Turkish HIV/AIDS patients in Istanbul was unsafe sex. In the mid 1990s, IVDU was the highest risk factor for HIV transmission in Indonesia.…”

“…Mucocutaneous manifestations can be increased with the development of HIV and CD4 decline. 5 Mucocutaneous manifestations in HIV patients can be found as infection, noninfection and tumor. In developed countries, non-infection cases in HIV patients commonly encountered due to the differences in their skin pigmentation, climate, hygiene, genetic, environment, demographic and behavioral patterns.…”

“…The mucocutaneous manifestations have been associated with the CD4 cell counts and used in the initial of HIV infection and in determining the clinical stage of the disease. [5][6][7][8] This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between CD4 cell counts and mucocutaneous manifestations in HIV patients in the Dr. Sardjito General Hospital, Yogyakarta.…”

“…In this study, the infection cases were higher (71.3%) than that reported in the previous studies. 5,6 The main infection cases was a fungal infection (56.7%), which is dominated by oral candidiasis. This can be caused by tropical climate in Indonesia with relatively high levels of air humidity make various types of germs, including fungal infections growing easily.…”