Background: Persons with HIV infection have increased rates of drug eruptions.
Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the risk factors of drug eruptions in response to sulfonamides in patients with AIDS, using a case-control analysis.
Methods: One hundred thirty-six patients who were hospitalized for pneumocystosis or toxoplasmosis were evaluated at the onset of treatment for various risk factors, which were then compared among patients with (48, 36%) and without (88, 64%) a drug eruption.
Results: In multivariate analysis, high CD8(+) cell count and age less than 36 years indicated a risk of drug eruption (respective odds ratios: 3.5 [95% CI 1.6-7.8], P =.002, and 2.1 [95% CI 1-4.6], P =.06). Markers of viral replication for HIV, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, human herpesvirus 6, and parvovirus B19, slow acetylation phenotype or genotype, and glutathione level were not associated with a risk. Administration of corticosteroids had no preventive effect.
Conclusions: Our results challenge several current concepts regarding drug eruptions by discarding a strong association with glutathione deficiency, slow acetylation, or active viral infections and by showing no preventive effect of corticosteroids.