AIDS and psoriasis

Seven patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)/AIDS-related complex (ARC) and psoriasis are reported. The psoriasis first presented in close association with the AIDS/ARC. The cutaneous lesions were difficult to control with systemic antipsoriatic therapy when patients' immune functions were depressed. Isolation of patients with psoriasis and AIDS from psoriatic patients without AIDS should be considered. The use of immunosuppressive therapy to control psoriasis in patients at high risk for AIDS, as well as those who already have AIDS, is controversial. An understanding of how viral, fungal, and bacterial infections trigger outbreaks of psoriasis could help us to discover the pathogenesis of this condition.