Cutaneous toxicities of antiretroviral therapy for HIV

HIV-Related Skin Disease in the Era of Antiretroviral Therapy: Recognition and Management

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has revolutionized the treatment and prognosis of people living with HIV (PLHIV). With increased survival and improved overall health, PLHIV are experiencing dermatologic issues both specific to HIV and common to the general population. In this new era of ART, it is crucial for dermatologists to have a strong understanding of the broad range of cutaneous disease and treatment options in this unique population. In this review, we outline the most common skin diseases in PLHIV, including HIV-associated malignancies, inflammatory conditions, and infections, and focus on the role of ART in altering epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of cutaneous conditions.

Access and management of HIV-related diseases in resource-constrained settings: a workshop report

With advancement of medical interventions, the lifespan of people living with HIV has increased globally. However, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) which bear the greatest burden of the HIV pandemic face a constant challenge in addressing the treatment needs of immune-suppressed patients. An analysis of the current management protocols and access to medication in resource-poor settings was conducted at this workshop, with emphasis on the situation in resource-poor settings. The participants developed a consensus document based on the need to respond to the constantly changing HIV pandemic. Provision of oral health care must be guided by interconnecting principles based on population based strategies that address upstream determinants of health. Basic oral health coverage in developing countries can only be realized with a strong foundation at the primary health level. Early diagnosis of HIV-related comorbidities including the adverse effects of ARVs is essential for the improvement of treatment outcomes. Standardization of oral health care delivery mechanisms will facilitate evaluation at national and regional levels. Oral health care workers have a moral obligation to participate in sustained campaigns to reduce the social stigma associated with HIV/AIDS in their work places at every stage of the referral chain. Future research also needs to realign itself towards prevention using the common risk factor approach, which has a broader impact on non-communicable diseases, which are increasingly affecting patients with HIV/AIDS as their life expectancies increase.

Severe antiretroviral-associated skin reactions in South African patients: a case series and case-control analysis

PURPOSE

Severe skin reactions may complicate combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Nevirapine is known to be associated with severe skin reactions, but there are conflicting data on risk factors in African patients. We reviewed cases of severe skin reactions admitted to a tertiary hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. We identified associations with severe skin reactions in patients on cART.

METHODS

We described severe skin reaction cases in patients taking cART admitted to Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, between 2006 and 2012. We included those patients who developed a severe skin reaction within 120 days of cART initiation in a case-control analysis. We identified control patients matched on date of cART initiation and primary care facility by linkage with the Western Cape electronic provincial HIV database. We conducted a conditional (fixed effects) logistic regression modelling.

RESULTS

We identified 169 severe skin reactions in patients on cART. The most common presentations were Stevens Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (49%) and drug hypersensitivity syndrome (36%). One hundred forty-one patients were female, of which 27 were pregnant. Median duration of hospitalization was 12 days (interquartile range 8 to 19) and six patients died. We included 91 cases and 361 matched controls in the analysis. Severe skin reaction was associated with nevirapine exposure, adjusted odds ratio of 7.6 (95%CI 3.7 to 15.7) and with pregnancy, adjusted odds ratio 3.7 (95%CI 1.3 to 10.8) compared with men.

CONCLUSIONS

Severe skin reactions resulted in prolonged admission to hospital in this setting. We found that nevirapine use and pregnancy are independently associated with severe skin reaction. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comorbidities associated with HIV and antiretroviral therapy (clinical sciences): a workshop report

In the era of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), parsing out the effects of HIV vs ART on health outcomes is challenging. Nadir CD4 count, a marker of the extent of immunosuppression, has significant long-term impact on an array of disease states in HIV+ persons; however, in the dental literature, reporting of pre-ART exposure to immunosuppression has largely been ignored and this limits the validity of previous studies. In Workshop A1, we explain fully the importance of nadir CD4, pre-ART immunosuppression, and identify a need to include specific variables in future research. The questions posed herein are challenging, typically not neatly addressed by any one study and require integration of the latest evidence from the wider medical literature. We consider topics beyond the confines of the oral cavity and examine oral health in the complex context of ART era HIV immunopathophysiology. We depict how variability in geographic setting and time period (pre- and post-ART era) can impact oral conditions - influencing when HIV infection was detected (at what CD4 count), the type and timing of ART as well as social determinants such as strong stigma and limited access to care. We hope our Workshop will stir debate and energize a rigorous focus on relevant areas of future research in HIV/AIDS.

Nevirapine: Most Common Cause of Cutaneous Adverse Drug Reactions in an Outpatient Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital

INTRODUCTION

Skin is the most commonly involved organ in adverse drug reactions. Most of the cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADRs) being of mild to moderate severity are likely to be diagnosed and treated in an outpatient setting. Consequently, knowledge regarding morphological pattern, severity and drugs implicated in causation of these CADRs has important implications for healthcare personnel.

AIM

To determine the current clinical pattern of CADRs and to assess their causality and severity with the help of standard scales.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

A prospective, observational study was conducted in the outpatient department of skin and venereal disease in a tertiary care hospital.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with suspected CADR after consumption of systemic drug(s) were enrolled in the study. Data regarding demographics, clinical manifestations of CADR, drug history preceding the reaction, concomitant illness, relevant laboratory investigations etc was obtained. This data was then analysed for morphological pattern, causality and severity. CADRs with causality assessment possible and above on the basis of World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre causality assessment system were considered for analysis.

STATISTICS

Descriptive statistics were used to express results of pattern, severity and causality of CADRs.

RESULTS

Ninety patients were enrolled in the study. Male to female ratio for CADRs was 1:2.33. Maculopapular rash was most commonly encountered CADR in 76.67% cases followed by urticaria (8.89%), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (4.4%) and fixed dose eruptions (3.33%). Antiretrovirals were implicated in 75.56% (68/90) of CADRs. Nevirapine was suspected in 52 out of 90 (57.77%) cases of CADRs which included 39 cases of maculopapular rash, five cases of urticaria, four cases of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and two cases each of pustular rash and angioedema respectively. Antimicrobials, antiepileptics and Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) were other suspected drugs.

CONCLUSION

Antiretrovirals especially nevirapine was implicated in variety of CADRs ranging from maculopapular rash to life-threatening reactions like Stevens-Johnson syndrome in an outpatient setting. Women were twice as susceptible as men for CADRs.

Annular erythema and photosensitivity as manifestations of efavirenz-induced cutaneous reactions: a review of five consecutive cases

OBJECTIVES

In HIV-infected persons, a rash is the most common manifestation of drug hypersensitivity reactions. Non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors are a major cause of cutaneous reactions. While the characteristics of nevirapine-associated cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADRs) have been well described, there are limited data on efavirenz-associated CADRs. The objective of this study was to characterize the clinical features of consecutive cases of efavirenz-associated CADRs in a single referral centre diagnosed over a 3 year period.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 231 patients admitted with CADRs to a tertiary dermatology ward in Cape Town, South Africa.

RESULTS

In 42/231(18%) cases, there had been exposure to efavirenz in the preceding 8 weeks. Of these, 5/42 (12%) patients were diagnosed with probable efavirenz-associated CADRs based on the Naranjo score. The median exposure to efavirenz before the onset of the rash was 12 days (range 2-48). All the patients were female, with a median age of 31 years and a median CD4 cell count of 300 cells/mm(3) (range 81-887). Four had a photo-distributed eruption and one had a confluent indurated erythema affecting the face, trunk and limbs. In three out of five cases, there were annular plaques with raised erythematous edges and dusky centres, which were photo-distributed. Two patients had a mild transaminitis and another a mild eosinophilia. Histological features were non-specific, with perivascular lymphocytes the only consistent feature. In all five cases, efavirenz was withdrawn and potent topical steroid was the only CADR-specific intervention. The eruptions resolved on discharge from hospital, with no sequelae except for residual post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

CONCLUSIONS

Photo-distribution and annular erythema should alert clinicians to the possibility of efavirenz-associated CADRs.