The Effect of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy on Dermatologic Disease in a Longitudinal Study of HIV Type 1-Infected Women

The effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on skin diseases was evaluated in 878 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected women in the Women's Interagency HIV Study, a multicenter prospective study. HIV-1-infected women receiving HAART were less likely to have eczema, folliculitis, tinea pedis, and xerosis than were women who had not initiated HAART, independent of CD4⁺ cell count. Participants who had a prior history of a nadir CD4⁺ cell count of <200 cells/ μL and recent CD4⁺ cell counts of 200-349 cells/μL were more likely to have eczema and xerosis than were women with a nadir CD4⁺ cell count of >200 cells/μL and recent CD4⁺ cell counts of >349 cells/μL. An HIV-1 RNA load of >100,000 copies/mL was associated with increased prevalence of herpes zoster infection (odds ratio, 6.10; 95% confidence interval, 2.00-18.65). History of injection drug use was associated with a higher prevalence of onychomycosis, tinea pedis, and xerosis. Molluscum contagiosum was more prevalent among younger women.