ABSTRACT
Cutaneous photosensitivity refers to an inflammatory skin reaction arising from an abnormal response to nonionizing radiation. Its association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease has become increasingly recognized and has served as a useful marker in the diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression. In general, most of the photoeruptions reported in conjunction with HIV infection have been classified into the following categories: chronic actinic dermatitis, lichenoid photoeruption and erythroderma, porphyria cutanea tarda , photosensitive and nonphotosensitive hyperpigmentation, and photosensitive granuloma annulare (GA). HIV directly alters the balance of the immune system toward an inflammatory state via dysregulation of cytokines, the signaling molecules of the immune system. The diagnosis of HIV-related photodistributed hyperpigmentation is primarily one of exclusion. Treatment of hyperpigmentation disorders is notoriously difficult in immunocompetent individuals and is even more challenging in the HIV-infected population. The cause of GA, both in unaffected and HIV-infected individuals, remains unknown.
