Kaposi's sarcoma in a hospital setting in Lomé (Togo): a study of 93 cases

To define the epidemiologic and clinical profile and course of the disease in African Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-associated KS in Togo.

This was a retrospective study performed on the medical records of patients seen at the Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Lomé, Togo from January 1994 to December 2004. The medical records of all patients with KS, who had undergone human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serology, were included in the study.

Ninety-three files on 98 patients with KS, who had undergone HIV serology, were included in the study. The annual incidence during the study period was 8.5. HIV serology was positive in 73 patients (78.5%) and negative in 20 patients (21.5%). The mean age of the patients with AIDS-associated KS was 33.8 +/- 8.2 years, and 49.5 +/- 15.8 years for African KS. The male to female ratio for AIDS-associated KS was 1.4, and 9 for African KS. The mortality rate at 2 years for African KS was 5%, and 45% for AIDS-associated KS.

The low level of access to antiretroviral drugs in HIV-infected patients explains the morbidity and mortality from AIDS-associated KS in Togo.