Mucocutaneous manifestations in HIV and their correlation with WHO clinical staging

Introduction Mucocutaneous infections have  played  a myriad  role  in early diagnosis  of  HIV  infection  and  in clinical staging of the disease. The frequency and associated etiological factors of complications can be varied.  Aim This study focuses on various patterns and presentations of mucocutaneous manifestations in HIV patients and its correlation with WHO clinical staging. Material methods 270 diagnosed asymptomatic HIV patients and those who reported for care after testing HIV-positive were assessed for skin findings and were divided according to the WHO clinical stages at presentation. Results Mean age of HIV positive patients was 40.04±10.77 years from the rural area (55.19%) taking ART (91.85%) with most common regimen Tenofovir Disoproxil, Lamivudine and Dolutegravir(TLD) (53.33%). Male preponderance (58.52%) was reported. Prevalence of mucocutaneous manifestations in present study was 22.96% with sex predilection for males(23.27%). Commonest were Onychomycosis(8.06%), Scabies(8.06%), Oral Candidiasis(6.45%) and infection of Tinea Cruris, Corporis(4.84%). Majority of the patients pertained to WHO clinical staging of 1 (48.89%) while both males and females were highest in WHO stage of 1 (47.17%, 51.35%).  Conclusion Regular skin examinations are recommended as routine in HIV-infected patients. Keywords HIV, AIDS, Mucocutaneous, Onychomycosis, scabies.