Pigmentation: A Potential Cutaneous Marker for AIDS?

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1346-8138.2004.tb00591.x
• Publication Date: 2014-07-22T09:38:44Z
• Authors: Chander Grover; Samir Kubba; Shikha Bansal; Soni Nanda; Belum Siva Nagi R...
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Leg; Mouth Mucosa; Genitalia, Male; Middle Aged; 3. Good health; Diagnosis, Differential; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Nails; Tongue; Humans; Female; Pigmentation Disorders

AbstractPigmentation of skin, nails and mucosae has frequently been described in HIV positive patients. Various causes for this phenomenon have been ascribed, which include intake of various drugs like zidovudine, opportunistic infections like toxoplasmosis and adrenocortical suppression. However, there has been no uniform explanation. We describe three AIDS patients with different personal and disease profiles but essentially the same pattern of pigmentation. This pattern of pigmentation is thereby discussed. We also propose that this pigmentation could be a result of late stage HIV disease per se and thus could serve as a useful cutaneous marker for the same.