Skin and soft tissue infections among HIV-infected persons in the late combination antiretroviral therapy era

Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) occur at higher rates among HIV-infected persons, but current trends and risk factors are largely undefined. We evaluated SSTIs among a prospective cohort of HIV-infected persons during the late combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) era (2006-2010). Of the 1918 HIV-infected persons evaluated, 379 (20%) developed an SSTI during a median of 3.7 years of follow-up; of these, 118 (31%) developed at least one recurrent SSTI. The incidence rate of SSTIs was 101 (95% confidence interval [CI] 93-109) cases per 1000 person-years, and rates did not significantly change during the study period. Compared with not receiving cART and having an HIV RNA level.≤1000 copies/mL, patients receiving cART with an HIV RNA level,≤1000 copies/mL had a reduced risk of an SSTI (hazard ratio 0.64, 95% CI 0.48-0.86, P>0.01). In summary, initial and recurrent SSTIs are common among HIV-infected persons, and HIV control is associated with a lower risk of SSTIs.