Background: This study was conducted to analyze the type, incidence, predisposing factors and prognosis of cutaneous complications (CC) occurring in heart transplant recipients (HTR).
Patients and methods: A retrospective study was carried out among 192 HTR with a survival > 1 month. The following variables were recorded: age, sex, place of residence, post-transplant diabetes, glucocorticoid dose, prophylaxis with acyclovir/itraconazole and CC.
Results: One hundred sixty three CC were diagnosed in 93 patients. The major types were infectious complications (n = 115; 70.5%) and tumors (n = 20; 12.3%). The most common infections were viral (herpes zoster; n = 22) and fungal (pityriasis versicolor; n = 53). Out the 20 tumors, 3 were malignant: 2 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 1 Kaposi sarcoma. None of the CC caused mortality or prolonged hospital stay. No relationship was found between CC and the variables studied.
Conclusions: Skin infections were the most common CC in this cohort of HTR. The incidence of SCC was very low and its prognosis was good due to early diagnosis and surgical excision.