Introduction: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected individuals develop variety of skin manifestations. They may not only point towards the diagnosis of HIV infection but tend to appear at specific stage in the progression of HIV and act as an indicator of the development of AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome).
Objectives: To identify and correlate mucocutaneous disorders to CD4+ T cell count and to study the correlation between CD4+ T cell counts and WHO clinical staging in HIV/AIDS patients.
Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 110 consecutive HIV positive adult patients with skin manifestations, on a predesigned proforma followed by detailed clinical examination and relevant diagnostic tests.
Results: Majority of patients were young and the predominant mode of transmission was heterosexual contact. Most common dermatological manifestations were herpes zoster, seborrheic dermatitis, scabies, longitudinal melanonychia, maculopapular drug rash andmolluscum contagiosum. Significant correlation was observed between the CD4+ T cell counts and WHO clinical staging.
Conclusions: WHO clinical staging has an important role in the management of HIV/AIDS especially in our part of the world. Skin is an important clinical organ for assessment, prediction of immune status, and management of HIV/AIDS, particularly for hard to reach and resource limited health settings.
