Background: The burden of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is increasing fast among HIV-infected populations, but the disease remains desperately underexplored in Cameroon, where the burden of HIV is high. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study carried out over a period of 16 years (January 2001 to December 2016) at the HIV day care unit of the Central Hospital of Yaoundé, Cameroon. The diagnosis was based on clinical aspects and histological confirmation, and we used a preconstructed questionnaire for data collection through patients’ electronic and physical files. Results: Among 14,220 files reviewed, 316 cases of KS were identified, yielding a cumulative incidence of 2.2%. In the end, 266 patients (55% male) were included in this study. The patients’ age ranged from 17 to 72 years, with a mean of 37.8 ± 9.5 years. KS was the presenting manifestation of HIV in 89.8% of the cases. Cutaneous lesions occurred more often (81.6%), mainly located on the lower limbs (47.7%); mucous lesions were found in 15.8% of the patients, while 8 patients (3.0%) had associated visceral lesions. The lesions predominantly were lymphedemas (28.6%) and papulonodules (21.1%). At the diagnosis of KS, the median CD4 count was 175 cells/mm3 (interquartile range 80.5–288.5), and 150 patients (56.6%) had CD4 counts < 200 cells/mm3. Conclusions: KS is frequent among our HIV-infected patients; it seems to occur most often at a younger adult age and represents one of the presenting manifestations of HIV/AIDS in our context. It seems to equally affect men and women, occurring more often when CD4 counts are < 200 cells/mm3.

Keywords:
Kaposi sarcoma, HIV, Epidemiology, Yaoundé, Cameroon
This content is only available via PDF.
© 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel
2018
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.