Oral lesions associated to HIV infection and AIDS in individuals without antiretroviral treatment in Bogotá, D.C.

Abstract

Oral maniíestations of HIV disease are significant because they potentially represent the first clinical signs of HIV and are highly predictive markers of severe immunosuppression and disease progression. To more carefully define this association, oral symptoms were characterized for 314 patients attending a special care program at San Juan de Dios Hospital in Bogotá, Colombia. Physical and oral exams were conducted for each, along with a description of the type and location of lesion. Of the 314 patients, 285 (90.8%) were males and 29 (9.2%) women. The average age was 31 years (range 15-64). Although 91 (29%) had no lesions, 223 (71%) showed one or more. The most frequent presentation was oral candidosis, which appeared in 207 people (658%)patients, which was íurther characterized as follows: pseudomembranous (29.9%), erythematous (21%), angular queilitis (12.1%) and hiperplasia 9 (2.8%). The remaining categories were hairy leucoplaquia (21.3%), gingivitis and periodontitis (17.1%), kaposi sarcoma (8.9%) and recurrent aphtous ulcers (8.2%). Lesions were located in the hard palate andlor brandish in 108 patients (34.4%), the tongue in 101 patients (32.2%), the mucous yugal in 48 (15.3%), the gum margin in 36 (11.5%), the labial commissure in 34 (10.8%) and the oropharinge in 25 (8%).