A clinico-epidemiological profile of HIV positive patients with muco-cutaneous manifestations

Context: Skin and mucocutaneous disorders are common in HIV infection and they may be the earliest manifestation of the disease. The spectrum of these disorders is wide and may vary in different regions. Aims: To find the epidemiology of HIV positive patients with mucocutaneous manifestations in HIV positive patients. Setting and Design: Retrospective, analytical. Materials and Method: All the HIV positive cases reported at dermatology and STD clinic are enrolled in the study. Data source is OPD register of HIV positive patients from 1 Jan 2007- 31 Dec 2015. The data collected included age, gender, marital status, occupation, route of transmission, mucocutaeous manifestation, its duration and treatment. Results: Total of 968 patients were found to be HIV positive in these 9 years out of which 148 patients (15.2%) had mucocutaneous manifestations.There are 104 (70%) males and 44 (30%) females in the study. Mode of transmission in 90 patients (60.81%) was by sexual exposure. Venereal diseases were seen in 34 patients (33%) with genital warts seen in 22(14.86%) while non-venereal diseases were seen in 114 (67%) with herpes zoster seen in 46 (31.1%). Conclusion: Mucocutaneous disorders are useful clinical predictors of the HIV infection as they may present with unusual and atypical manifestations. Recognising HIV related skin changes may lead to diagnosis of HIV infection in the early stages, allowing initiation of appropriate ART. A high level of suspicion for the HIV infection has to be kept in mind to prevent opportunistic infections and improving the patient's quality of life.