Head and neck manifestations of HIV infection: a preliminary study

The study deals with evaluation of the head and neck manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a preliminary, prospective study, conducted in the department of ENT and microbiology, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, Manipur. The clinical presentations for HIV infection and AIDS with head and neck involvement are shown in this paper. Forty patients with HIV infection and various head and neck manifestations are included in this study The median age of diagnosis was 33 years with male to female ratio of 3.4: 1. The predominant mode of transmission of HIV infection among the patients of this series was found to be intravenous drug use (IDU) in 65% of cases. Rhinosinusitis was found to be the most common presenting feature constituting 27.5% of the cases followed by oral candidiasis in 22.5% of the cases. After consideration and observation of all the facts and findings, this study concludes and proposes that it will be well for all clinicians, including otolaryngologists especially, to bear a high level of suspicion for HIV infections in their day to day practice.