Clinical and Laboratory Profile of People Living with HIV/AIDS with Oral Kaposi Sarcoma

HIV, HPV, AND ORAL HEALTH IN TANZANIA: A SCOPING REVIEW

Background

There is an increased risk of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated infections and malignancies among people living with HIV (PLHIV). However, there is limited literature exploring the intersection of HPV, HIV, and oral health in Tanzania and across sub-Saharan Africa. We reviewed the existing literature on the intersection of HIV, HPV, and oral health in Tanzania.

Methods

This was a scoping review with the search of key words representing HIV, HPV, oral health, and Tanzania. Since there were no studies that explored the intersection of HIV, HPV, and oral health in Tanzania, the search extended to include studies with the intersection between oral health and either HIV or HPV in Tanzania.

Findings

44 studies were eligible for analysis. Only one of them explored the relationship between HPV and oral health, where 4 (6%) of adolescent schoolgirls were detected with HPV-DNA and the paper hinted at the possibility of HPV autoinoculation. There were no articles linking HPV vaccination and oral health. The remaining 43 (98%) studies explored the relationship between HIV and oral health. There has been an increase in oral manifestations in PLHIV in the last two decades, and highly active antiretroviral therapy has been protective against oropharyngeal candidiasis but had no significance on head and neck cancer. Single-dose fluconazole and 35% herbal antifungals were identified to be effective in treating oral candidiasis. No recent studies explored the different facets of dental care among PLHIV.

Interpretation

There are no studies exploring the intersection of HIV, HPV, and oral health in Tanzania. Future studies are needed to determine the burden and barriers of HPV-associated oral manifestations among PLHIV in Tanzania and across Sub-Saharan Africa.

AIDS Related Kaposi's Sarcoma: A 20-Year Experience in a Clinic from the South-East of Romania

Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) was peculiarly described in the first notified cases of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome as an opportunistic condition. However, the medical progress and the development of active antiretroviral therapy allowed the control of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, although the features of KS have changed throughout the past decades. The purpose of our study is to assess the epidemiological and clinical features of AIDS related KS in Romanian patients. A retrospective follow-up study was achieved in a single infectious diseases’ clinic from Galati—Romania, between 2001 and 2021. Referring to 290 new HIV diagnosed cases from our clinic retained in care, the prevalence of KS was 3.4%. The main characteristics of patients with KS are a median age of 33, a predominance of males, prevalent severe systemic forms of diseases, frequent association of past or concomitant tuberculosis, and context of immune reconstruction syndrome. The mortality rate was 70%. KS has occurred in patients with delayed HIV diagnoses and inadequate adherence to therapy. Early recognition of both infections, the close monitoring of latent or symptomatic tuberculosis, improving the antiretroviral adherence and raising the access to oncologic procedures in Romanian HIV patients could improve their prognosis related to KS.