Oral lesions and immune status of HIV infected adults from eastern Nepal

Objective: To document the prevalence, age and gender distribution of oral lesions in HIV infected adults and the influence of highly active antiretroviral therapy and correlate them to the immune status of the patients. Materials and Methods: Oral lesions were diagnosed by a detailed physical examination by trained and calibrated examiners according to the case definitions established by the Oral HIV/AIDS research alliance. Demographic details, risk behavior patterns and oral symptoms and habits were collected by a questionnaire. Results: 81 patients; 54 men and 27 women aged between 20 – 55 years participated in the study. A total of 49 patients; 60.5% had some oral lesion when examined. Oral candidiasis (21 %) and oral melanosis (21%) were the most common lesions, followed by linear gingival erythema, oral hairy leukoplakia, necrotizing ulcerative periodontitis/gingivitis, herpes labialis, parotid gland enlargement and reccurent apthous ulcers. Oral hairy leukoplakia was exclusively seen in men (p=0.018). All six cases of herpes simplex lesion were seen in non - anti retro viral group (p=0.073) while oral candidiasis was commonly noted in the anti retro viral group (p=0.073). Lowering CD4 counts had the strongest association with the prevalence of oral candidasis (p=0.012), pseudomembranous candidiasis (p=0.014) and oral hairy leukoplakia (p= 0.065). Conclusion: This study shows a high prevalence of oral candidiasis, melanosis, linear gingival erythema and oral hairy leukoplakia in the patients. Key words:HIV, AIDS, oral lesions, prevalence.