AIDS Exacerbates Psoriasis

To the Editor: We have seen three homosexual patients in whom extensive erythrodermic psoriasis developed during the same month in which they were diagnosed as having the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Two patients had had localized psoriasis vulgaris for 8 and 12 years, respectively, that was easily controlled with conventional topical therapy; in the other patient, psoriasis and AIDS developed simultaneously. All three patients had serologic evidence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus Type III (HTLV-III), cytomegalovirus, and hepatitis virus infections. Two patients had Kaposi's sarcoma, which appeared as their psoriasis flared, and all three had episodes of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.