Oral manifestations of HIV–AIDS in Nigerian patients

Abstract

Because of the unique features of the AIDS epidemic in West Africa, we sought to determine if the spectrum of oral lesions among Nigerian patients with HIV-AIDS differs from that found in other regions. Of 500 patients examined, 266 (53%) had oral lesions. Lesions due to candidiasis were present in 244 (49%), while other oral lesions were infrequent (<3% for each of the other types). Oral lesions were associated with advanced disease stage (P < 0.001), a history of urethritis in men (P < 0.001), and alcohol (P < 0.001) and tobacco use (P = 0.03). A significantly lower prevalence of oral lesions (6%) was found among the 32 patients receiving antiretroviral drug treatment.