Study Examines Skin Disease Patterns Among HIV-Infected People
A study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology examines patterns of skin disease among HIV-positive people, Reuters Health reports. Pedro Queiroz Zancanaro of the Universidade de Brasilia and colleagues analyzed data from initial visits of 897 HIV positive people to a dermatology clinic from 1996 to 2002 to examine skin diseases.

Sixty-one percent of the individuals started antiretroviral therapy before visiting the dermatology clinic.

The most prevalent skin disease was folliculitis -- irritation of the skin follicles -- which affected 18% of the participants, say the reseearchers. Genital warts were recorded in 11.5% of participants, and seborrheic dermatitis, or inflammation from sebaceous secretions, was recorded in 10.6% of patients. The study also finds that 6.2% of the participants on HIV medications were sensitive to light, compared with 2.9% who were not using the drugs.

In addition, the viral skin condition molluscum contagiosum was more prevalent among HAART participants. "As the treatments for HIV continues to advance, it is likely that (skin) manifestations will also continue to evolve and further studies will be required to adequately assess their changing nature and prevalence," the researchers concluded.

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