Children with Kaposi sarcoma in two Southern African hospitals : clinical presentation, management, and outcome

Date
2013
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Hindawi
Abstract
In 2010 more than 3 million children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were living in Sub-Saharan Africa. The AIDS epidemic has contributed to an abrupt increase of the frequency of Kaposi sarcoma (KS), especially in Southern Africa. There is a need to describe the clinical features of this disease, its management, and its outcome in HIV positive children in Southern Africa. The aim of the study is to describe two different populations with HIV and KS from two African hospitals in Namibia and South Africa. Material and Methods. A retrospective descriptive study of patients with KS who presented to Tygerberg Hospital (TH) and Windhoek Central Hospital (WCH) from 1998 to 2010. Demographic data, HIV profile, clinical picture of KS, and survival were documented. Results. The frequency of KS declined from 2006 to 2010 in TH but showed an increase in the same period in WCH. Children in TH were diagnosed at a much younger age than those in WCH (44.2 months versus 90 months). Cutaneous lesions were the most common clinical presenting feature, followed by lymphadenopathy, intrathoracic and oral lesions. Conclusions. The clinical characteristics of KS in South Africa and Namibia differ in many aspects between the 2 countries.
Description
CITATION: De Bruin, G. P. & Stefan, D. C. 2013. Children with Kaposi sarcoma in two Southern African hospitals : clinical presentation, management, and outcome. Journal of Tropical Medicine, Article ID 213490, doi:10.1155/2013/213490.
The original publication is available at https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jtm
Keywords
Kaposi's sarcoma
Citation
De Bruin, G. P. & Stefan, D. C. 2013. Children with Kaposi sarcoma in two Southern African hospitals : clinical presentation, management, and outcome. Journal of Tropical Medicine, Article ID 213490, doi:10.1155/2013/213490.