Psoriasis in Patients Attending a Large HIV Clinic in Trinidad

Abstract

The data on psoriasis in persons infected with HIV in the Caribbean is sparse. A cross-sectional study was conducted on patients attending the HIV Clinic diagnosed with psoriasis where sociodemographic data and data on the pattern of psoriasis were collected and analysed using SPSS version 25. Over the period April 2002–December 2018, 37 persons attending the HIV clinic were diagnosed with psoriasis, age range at psoriasis diagnosis 13–70 years, mean age at diagnosis 37.7 years and 32 (86.5%) were male. Over the study period, 8916 patients were registered at the HIV Clinic and the prevalence of psoriasis among these patients was 0.42% which is less than the reported prevalence of psoriasis among persons infected with HIV of 2–3% in other studies. Severe/generalised psoriasis was present in 7 (18.9%) patients while 30 (81.1%) patients had mild/moderate psoriasis. A family history of psoriasis was present in 1 (2.7%) patient, psoriatic arthritis was present in 2 (5.4%) patients and 31 (83.8%) patients reported that there was improvement in the psoriasis with the topical therapy provided. The study makes an original contribution in the determination of the prevalence and pattern of psoriasis among patients attending a HIV Clinic in Trinidad.