INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Cutaneous Complications
KAPOSISARCOMA
More common in men who have sex with men
SYMPTOMS/EXAM
■ Pink, red, or purple
■ Papules or nodules
■ Painless/nonblanching
■ Commonly on lower limbs, face, mouth, and genitals
REACTIVATIONVARICELLAZOSTERVIRUS(VZV)
■ 17 ×higher incidence in HIV
■ Frequently multidermatomal
TREATMENT
■ Oral acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir
■ IV antiviral therapy if severe, systemic, or ophthalmologic
Ophthalmologic Complications
CMV RETINITIS
■ #1 cause of AIDS-associated blindness
■ Severe necrotic vasculitis and retinitis
SYMPTOMS/EXAM
■ Visual acuity changes, photophobia, floaters, scotoma, redness and/or pain
■ Retina: Fluffy white perivascular lesions
TREATMENT
Ganciclovir
Adverse Medication Reactions
■ Drug fever, rash, nausea, diarrhea, headache, neuropathy, and liver disease
are associated with several different medications.
■ Lactic acidosis can be seen with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor
(NRTI) HIV drugs.
■ Classically associated with stavudine, zidovudine, didanosine, and
lamivudine
■ Typically present with nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, muscle weakness
■ Elevated lactate level
■ Untreated mortality rate as high as 50%
■ For specific HIV medication side effects, see Table 8.5.
Other HIV Complications
■ Cardiovascular
■ Pericardial effusion, cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, cardiotoxic medications
■ Renal
■ Prerenal azotemia (secondary to concomitant infection); renal-toxic
medications; HIV-associated nephropathy
Shingles in a
multidermatomal pattern is
suspicious for HIV coinfection
or other immune compromise.
NRTIs can cause a life-
threatening lactic acidosis.