Abstract
Objective: This study was aimed at describing oropharyngeal manifestations of secondary syphilis in HIV-infected patients. We also sought to determine the clinical risk factors for the development of oropharyngeal syphilitic lesions in patients with HIV and secondary syphilis.
Method: We conducted a case-control study in HIV-infected patients at a tertiary referral center in Mexico City. All HIV-infected patients admitted at our center during the period between November 2009 and February 2012 who fulfilled the CDC criteria for syphilis were included in this case control study.
Results: We identified 35 cases of syphilis; 17 patients had secondary syphilis, and 9 had oropharyngeal manifestations. Lesions involving the anterior tonsillar pillar were the most common, observed in 5 patients; and tongue lesions were observed in 3 patients. Multivariate analysis showed that the development of oropharyngeal lesions was independently associated with age, CD3, CD4, and CD8 cell counts and HIV RNA viral load.
Conclusion: The present work shows that oropharyngeal manifestations of secondary syphilis are frequent in HIV-infected patients.
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