The skin is the largest and most visible organ in the human body. Consequently, it
presents the most varied types of pathological manifestations. In HIV
immunosuppressed patients, there is a decline in the number and function of antigen presenting cells and CD4+ T cells, making the skin more vulnerable to opportunistic
and neoplastic infectious agents. This study aims to describe the prevalence and
clinical and epidemiological characteristics of infectious dermatoses in patients with
HIV/AIDS in a specialized outpatient clinic. A retrospective cohort study of patients with
HIV/AIDS enrolled at the Núcleo de Medicina Tropical (NMT) of the Federal University
of Pará (UFPA) was carried out between March 1999 and March 2021, with a sample
of 544 patients. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Word, Excel and Bioestat 5.5
software, using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test, and Student's T test, or the
equivalent nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. Results with p ≤ 0.05 (bilateral) were
considered statistically significant. The results show that the patients were male
(66.2%), aged between 40 and 59 years, single (65.8%), residing in Belém or
Ananindeua (81.6%), coming from UREDIPE (58 .1%), diagnosed with AIDS (16.2%),
using ART (94.9%), CD4+ from 1 to 300 (23.3%) and CD4+ above 300 (13.8%). About
100% of the patients in the study had skin changes, and more than half had at least
two skin changes, that is, at least 50% had at least two combinations of dermatoses.
As for the dermatological diagnosis, 16.9% of the individuals had dermatitis and 11.9%
had prurigo; 27.6% of the subjects had an elementary papule lesion, 24.8% had
erythema and 17.1% had a hyperchromic macula. As for the individual drugs used,
18.4% of the individuals used lamivudine, 9% AZT, 8.6% efavirenz. Of the 41 subjects
during the observation period from 6 months to 1 year, 17.1% had Kaposi's sarcoma,
which is a higher proportion than expected. Regarding the association with the use of
ART, there were no significant associations related to dermatological diagnoses, there
were no significant differences in relation to age, when compared to the presence of
elementary lesions. It was found that there are several types of dermatological
manifestations that can manifest in HIV-infected individuals, at different stages of
immunosuppression. In addition, it is observed that these skin lesions can be the first
signs that the patient presents, as well as, they are considered important clinical
indicators for monitoring the immune system. Thus, dermatoses can be a good clinical
marker to detect the clinical stage and diagnose HIV infection; in addition, there may
be a significant increase in the number of dermatoses in advanced stages.
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