Digital clubbing in HIV-infected patients: an observational study

Physical Examination in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Disease

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated disease is known for its protean manifestations. However, many of the characteristic findings on physical examination are not associated with HIV infection per se but the numerous opportunistic infections (OIs) that are common in patients with advanced HIV disease. Common findings of acute HIV infection include fever, adenopathy, rash, and oral ulcers. Chronic HIV infection is associated with skin, rheumatologic, and neurologic manifestations. OIs also cause skin, oropharyngeal, ocular, and neurologic manifestations. A skilled clinician can often recognize HIV disease based on the combination of these findings.

Digital clubbing

Digital clubbing is an ancient and important clinical signs in medicine. Although clubbed fingers are mostly asymptomatic, it often predicts the presence of some dreaded underlying diseases. Its exact pathogenesis is not known, but platelet-derived growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor are recently incriminated in its causation. The association of digital clubbing with various disease processes and its clinical implications are discussed in this review.

Cutaneous manifestations of HIV-a detailed study of morphological variants, markers of advanced disease, and the changing spectrum

BACKGROUND

Cutaneous manifestations are early and easily identifiable markers of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. They can help in predicting severity and progress of the disease and can be correlated well with CD4 counts. This study was undertaken to study the cutaneous manifestations of HIV infection and to correlate them with CD4 counts. It also aimed to study the changing spectrum of these manifestations and describe cutaneous manifestations seen in advanced disease.

METHOD

A total of 234 HIV-positive patients not on anti-retroviral therapy, who attended the outpatient department or were admitted as inpatients at Military Hospital, Shillong during the period between May 2008 and October 2009 were included. Cutaneous, mucosal, and genitourinary manifestations in these patients were studied in detail and were correlated with CD4 counts.

RESULTS

Infections were the most common group of mucocutaneous manifestations, while onychomycosis was the commonly observed individual manifestation. A different set of cutaneous markers for advanced HIV disease was observed and new parameters for therapy were also arrived at.

CONCLUSION

Specific morphological variants of cutaneous markers may provide a better clue to early diagnosis of HIV and can help in diagnosing advanced stages of the disease. Fresh cutaneous markers are required for indicating cut-off levels of CD4 count at 350/μL for starting therapy.