Dermatological Manifestations of HIV/AIDS Individuals in Shiraz, South of Iran

INTRODUCTION: HIV infection remains as a major challenge facing medical sciences in the world today. Mucocutaneous manifestation was first observed in patients with HIV/AIDS in the early 1980s. The aim of this study was to identify various skin manifestations based on making careful clinical observations and performing the necessary tests. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 240 patients whose disease was diagnosed using WB and ELISA tests, with dermatologic manifestations and were older than 18 years, participated in this study. These patients had referred to the voluntary counseling and testing center in Shiraz for routine examinations. RESULTS: From the total of 240 participants, 158 were males (65.8%) and 82 were females (34.2%). The mean age was 40.87 ± 8.04 years. Dermatologic manifestations were of infectious origin in 79 (33%) of the participants. As the most common viral skin infections, herpes simplex was seen in 16 patients (6.7%), with herpes zoster ranking second with 15 patients (6.3%). No relationship was found between CD4 cell count and infectious or noninfectious dermatologic manifestations (P = 0.274). CONCLUSION: No association was found between CD4 cell counts and dermatologic manifestations. Many skin disorders may appear in HIV/AIDS patients with normal CD4 cell counts.