Abstract
Introductionoral lesions comprise significant clinical features of HIV infection and are often indicators of immune suppression. However, the advent of antiretroviral therapy has significantly reduced its prevalence. The aim of this study was to relate the prevalence of oral lesions of HIV to treatment outcome of Combined Antiretroviral Therapy (cART) in a Nigerian HIV adult population.Methodsa cross- sectional study was conducted on 491 People Living with HIV (PLWHIV) on cART from two HIV centres in Lagos state, Nigeria. The EC-clearing house guidelines were employed to categorise oral lesions. Presence or absence of these lesions was reconciled with CD4+ cell count as a measure of efficacy of cART treatment.Resultsa total of 491 PLWHIV on cART were enrolled, 366 (74.5%) were females and 125 (25.5%) were males. Age ranged between 18-80 years, with a mean of 41.2 ± 9.1 years. On examination, 12 (2.4%) patients presented with HIV oral lesions. Oral hyperpigmentation (10, 2.0%) was the most common lesion seen, followed by oral ulcers (2,0.4%). Majority (75%) of the affected patients were on a Lamivudine containing regimen. 7 out of the 12 patients with oral lesions had CD4+ cell count between 200-500 cell/mm3 prior to cART initiation. Eleven (92%) of the patients with oral lesions had significant improvement of their CD4+ cell count after cART administration.Conclusionthe prevalence of oral lesions in HIV patients on cART therapy in Lagos is low. Oral hyperpigmentation and oral ulcers are the most frequent lesions seen. The presence or absence of oral lesions were not associated with CD4+ cell count. Therefore, we conclude that the oral lesions seen in HIV patients on cART may not be a direct manifestation of the disease.
Highlights
Oral lesions form significant early clinical features of HIV infection [1]
Of those who gave a history of oral lesions, 28(38.9%) claimed these lesions cleared after the administration of combination Anti-Retroviral Therapy (cART) alone, while 21(29.2%) acknowledged the use of other medications along with cART to treat the lesions
The prevalence of oral lesions in people living with HIV on cART therapy in Lagos is low
Summary
Oral lesions form significant early clinical features of HIV infection [1]. Oral lesions contribute largely to patients' morbidity, affecting the psychological and economic functioning of the individual and community [2]. They may be classified into infections such as fungal, viral and bacterial infections, neoplasms such as Kaposi's sarcoma and non-specific presentations such as aphthous ulcerations and salivary gland diseases [3, 4]. The overall prevalence of oral lesions in HIV infected patients has changed since the advent of combination Anti-Retroviral Therapy (cART). Unlike most other oral manifestations of HIV, which decrease with use of cART, studies from the USA and the United Kingdom (UK) have described an increase in the prevalence of oral warts with cART [10,11,12], which may reach statistical significance
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
