Steroid-induced Kaposi's sarcoma in a patient with pre-AIDS

Kaposi's sarcoma is known to occur in a variety of immunosuppressed patients. The course of the disease varies depending on the underlying risk factors. A male homosexual patient in whom Kaposi's sarcoma developed while he was being treated with prednisone for Henoch-Schönlein purpura is described. The resolution of his lesions once the steroid was discontinued places him in the group of patients whose main risk factor is the steroid itself, rather than the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) risk group. A review of the literature on steroid-treated patients in whom Kaposi's sarcoma developed is presented.