Posters
Presentation Type
Poster
Discipline Track
Community/Public Health
Abstract Type
Case Report
Abstract
Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a rare malignancy derived from the cells that line lymph and blood vessels. KS is caused by the human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8) and is an AIDS-defining illness that manifests as violaceous skin and mucosal lesions.
The patient is a 37-year-old previously healthy male who presented with a 4-month history of rapid, unintentional weight loss totaling 60lbs. The patient reported having a low WBC count at a free health fair 1 year prior but was uninsured, without access to follow-up care. Additionally, he noted the appearance of several dark purple, raised lesions on his skin about 9 months prior. Initial workup in the ED revealed elevated monocytes and a dangerously low WBC count of 1.4 (ref 4.5-11x109). He was found to be HIV+ with a CD4 T cell count of 2 (ref:359-1519) The patient was subsequentially hospitalized where his labs continued to downtrend. Neutropenic precautions were placed to limit contact and while treatment was initiated. A biopsy of the skin lesions later revealed a diagnosis of Kaposi sarcoma.
South Texas is home to the nation’s largest uninsured population of which over 30% live below the federal poverty level. Texas also ranks 7th in the country for new diagnoses of HIV. These social circumstances pose significant barriers to health care, resulting in an increasing rate of late-stage HIV/AIDS diagnoses/deaths. While there is no vaccine against the HHV-8, proper education and increased testing would ultimately carry the largest impact in the reduction of Kaposi sarcoma cases.
Academic/Professional Position
Medical Student
Mentor/PI Department
Internal Medicine
Recommended Citation
Singleterry, Rodolfo; Haj-Yahya, Khairiya; and Valdez, Eddy, "The Rare often Violet Sarcoma: A Case of Kaposi Sarcoma in HIV/AIDS" (2023). Research Symposium. 98.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/somrs/theme1/posters/98
Included in
The Rare often Violet Sarcoma: A Case of Kaposi Sarcoma in HIV/AIDS
Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a rare malignancy derived from the cells that line lymph and blood vessels. KS is caused by the human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8) and is an AIDS-defining illness that manifests as violaceous skin and mucosal lesions.
The patient is a 37-year-old previously healthy male who presented with a 4-month history of rapid, unintentional weight loss totaling 60lbs. The patient reported having a low WBC count at a free health fair 1 year prior but was uninsured, without access to follow-up care. Additionally, he noted the appearance of several dark purple, raised lesions on his skin about 9 months prior. Initial workup in the ED revealed elevated monocytes and a dangerously low WBC count of 1.4 (ref 4.5-11x109). He was found to be HIV+ with a CD4 T cell count of 2 (ref:359-1519) The patient was subsequentially hospitalized where his labs continued to downtrend. Neutropenic precautions were placed to limit contact and while treatment was initiated. A biopsy of the skin lesions later revealed a diagnosis of Kaposi sarcoma.
South Texas is home to the nation’s largest uninsured population of which over 30% live below the federal poverty level. Texas also ranks 7th in the country for new diagnoses of HIV. These social circumstances pose significant barriers to health care, resulting in an increasing rate of late-stage HIV/AIDS diagnoses/deaths. While there is no vaccine against the HHV-8, proper education and increased testing would ultimately carry the largest impact in the reduction of Kaposi sarcoma cases.