Management of pregnancy in HIV-infected women and prevention of mother to child transmission

Abstract

It is well known that HIV infection is associated with an increased burden of dermatologic disease.1, 2 Some studies show that greater than 90% of HIV-positive people have skin-related complaints.1, 2 Taking into account that the scope of dermatology includes the skin, hair, nails, and mucosa, approximately a quarter of the conditions listed as AIDS-defining illnesses are dermatologic in nature (Table 1).3 Historically, dermatologists were among some of the first doctors to recognize AIDS as a distinct condition. Dermatologic conditions may be the presenting manifestation of HIV infection, prompting testing,2 or a marker for disease progression (Table 2).4 Patients may have unusual, more severe, or recalcitrant cases of common conditions (e.g., warts, seborrheic dermatitis) or present with diseases relatively unique to HIV infection (e.g., eosinophilic folliculitis, Kaposi's sarcoma). In untreated patients, the type of dermatologic disease seen tends to have a pattern that correlates with CD4 count; however, the introduction of HAART in the mid-1990s changed the pattern of the conditions seen.5 Complications from HAART and other medicines used to treat HIV infection, such as lipodystrophy, added to the list of the many HIV-related cutaneous manifestations. © 2009 Springer-Verlag New York.