Papular pruritic eruptions: A marker of progressive HIV disease in children: Experience from eastern India

CONTEXT: Papular pruritic eruptions (PPEs) are a commonly seen dermatological manifestation in children with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) stage 2 disease, whereas recurrent upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) (<2 episodes in 6 months) is the most common presenting illness in this category. Papular pruritic eruptions has been associated with progressive HIV disease in adults though it is categorized in early stage. AIM: To evaluate PPE as a clinical marker for progressive pediatric HIV. SETTING AND DESIGN: In Pediatric HIV/AIDS clinic, Medical College, Kolkata, a prospective longitudinal hospital-based observational study was carried out. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 108 children in WHO stage 2 HIV disease aged between 2 and 12 years were selected, of which 58 had recurrent URTI without PPE and another 50 had PPE with or without secondary bacterial infection. Clinico-immunological deterioration was compared between the groups in terms of progression to undernutrition, WHO clinical stage 4 disease, severe immunodeficiency, need for initiation of Highly Active Anti Retroviral Therapy (HAART) and mortality over a period of 2 years. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: SPSS statistical software version 10 was used. P value, relative risk (RR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI), sensitivity and specificity was estimated. P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Significantly higher incidence (P < 0.001) of clinico-immunological progression of disease at a significantly shorter time period (P < 0.05) was found in those with PPE in comparison to those without PPE. Papular pruritic eruption has high sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value as a clinical marker for severe immunodeficiency. CONCLUSION: Papular pruritic eruption could be a useful clinical marker of progressive HIV disease in children.