Skin Disease in Korean Human Immunodeficiency Virus Patient

In Korea, new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients continue to be diagnosed. Due to the development of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) and lengthening of survival period of infected person, the aspect of skin diseases of HIV-infected patients is also changing.

To determine skin diseases of HIV-infected patients according to immune status and the relationship between folliculitis and HAART drug.

Subjects were HIV-infected patients who were treated in the department of dermatology from September 1, 2008 to August 31, 2018. Medical records of 376 subjects were retrospectively analyzed.

Of 376 patients were studied, tinea infection, folliculitis, and seborrheic dermatitis were the most common regardless of their CD4 T cell counts or treatment group (initial treatment or retreatment). Seborrheic dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, and pruritic papular eruption were significantly more common in patients with CD4+T cells less than 200×10⁶ cells/L while warts were significantly more frequent in patients with CD4+T cells greater than 200×10⁶ cells/L. Most HAART agents were found to be helpful in reducing the incidence of folliculitis.

There were many skin diseases in HIV patients, different from previous studies. In our study, the top three diagnoses were tinea infection, folliculitis, and seborrheic dermatitis. HAART medication was helpful in reducing folliculitis. These changes will require different treatments for skin diseases in HIV patients.