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- Original article -
Pigmentation: A Potential Cutaneous Marker for AIDS?
Chander Grover, Samir Kubba, Shikha Bansal, Soni Nanda and Belum Siva Nagi Reddy
Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Maulana Azad Medical College and Associated Hospitals, New Delhi, India.
Pigmentation 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.
key words: pigmentation; HIV; AIDS; cutaneous marker
Received February 9, 2004; Accepted for publication April 6, 2004
Reprint requests to: Dr. Chander Grover, 11/15, Nehru Nagar, New Delhi-110065, India.
J Dermatol 31 (9): 756-760, 2004
Japanese Dermatological Association
http://www.dermatol.or.jp
