Dermatological Manifestations : A Clinical Predictor of AIDS

Abstract

AIDS (Acquired Immune Defi ciency Syndrome) was first described as a distinct clinical entity in 1981. Since then, AIDS, which is caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infection, has been spreading it’s tentacles and has come to assume the status of a global pandemic at present. HIV is associated with a wide spectrum of clinical disorders ranging from an asymptomatic infection to AIDS-related complex. The virus produces a panorama of muco-cutaneous manifestations. In resource-poor settings where methods for early detection and management of HIV/AIDS are not readily available, muco-cutaneous disorders may be used as reliable predictors of disease progression and the underlying immune status of the patients, thus, allowing initiation of appropriate antiretroviral therapy and modifying the clinical course of the disease.