Pattern of cutaneous manifestations among HIV patients of a tertiary care teaching hospital

Introduction: The most recent data from UNAIDS, about 35 million people are living with HIV infection worldwide. Cutaneous disorders occur more frequently as HIV infection advances and immune function deteriorates; however, they are common and of various types throughout the course of HIV disease. Taking cutaneous disorders into consideration for case management is essential to improve quality of life for HIV-infected patients. Materials and method: The current record based study was conducted at the tertiary care teaching hospital of Kasturba medical College, Mangalore. The records of all the HIV positive patients who visited dermatology clinic, were retrieved from the record section of the hospital. The information pertaining to the demographic characteristics, mode of transmission of HIV and cutaneous manifestations were obtained from the case records.. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS Results: About half (n=67, 51.5%) the patients were in the age group of 26-35 years, and one quarter (n=30, 23.1%) were between 36 and 45 years old. About 86.9% (n=113) of patients acquired HIV through the sexual exposure. Conclusion: Oropharyngeal candidiasis was the most common dermatological manifestations observed among the participants in the current study.