Frequency of undiagnosed HIV infection in patients of seborrheic dermatitis

Introduction  The incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, is increasing in Pakistan. Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) can be seen in patients having HIV infection, so it can be a marker of disease diagnosis and progression. Objective To see the occurrence of HIV infection in patients with SD. Methods A prospective study was conducted in Dermatology Department, DHQ teaching hospital, University Medical Complex and Research Center, Sargodha, from September, 2019-February, 2020. Two hundred and eighty-five cases of SD diagnosed clinically were taken and serological examination for HIV by rapid diagnostic test was done on all cases. Data analysis were done by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20 and expressed as frequency and percentage. Results  In 285 cases of SD majority (53.6%) were males. Ages of patients ranged from 8 months to 60 years. Out of the 31 patients positive for HIV, 25 were males and rest were females. Majority of HIV positive cases (70.96%) had severe SD. Conclusion  SD is a dermatological manifestation of HIV infection. As in developing countries like Pakistan with limited health facilities it is difficult to have CD4+ counts done, skin examination should be an important tool for assessing immune status and management of HIV positive patients.