Prevalence and factors of HIV associated Oral Kaposi Sarcoma at Wits Oral Health Centre, Johannesburg

dc.contributor.authorChetty, Hasita
dc.contributor.supervisorPadayachee, Sankeshan
dc.contributor.supervisorMafojane, Tumane
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-29T14:40:18Z
dc.date.issued2024-07
dc.departmentOral Medicine and Periodontology
dc.descriptionA research project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Sciences (MSc) in Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Oral Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024.
dc.description.abstractIntroduction: HIV associated Oral Kaposi Sarcoma (OKS) is a neoplasm predominantly occurring in immunocompromised patients. Therefore, it is often observed in an HIV positive and AIDS population (Moore & Chang, 2003). KS is caused by the Kaposi Sarcoma Herpes Virus (KSHV) or Human Herpes Virus-8 (HHV8) (Naidoo et al, 2016). The risk of acquiring KS increases in the presence of HIV infection and immunosuppression (Kamulegeya & Kalyanyama, 2008). HIV-KS can occur at any stage of HIV infection but has been more prevalent at the stage of AIDS or severe immune impairment (Khammissa et al., 2012). Both HHV8 infection and HIV/AIDS are highly prevalent in Africa (Kamulegaya and Kalyanyama, 2008). There is a lack of current evidence documenting the relationship between HIV/AIDS and OKS since the implementation of ART, therefore this study intends to augment the existing literature. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors of HIV associated OKS, on histopathologically diagnosed patients attending the WITS Oral Health Centre, Johannesburg, between 2008 and 2018. This period predates and postdates the roll out of ART in the South African public health sector in 2012 and speaks to the relationship between ART and the occurrence of HIV associated OKS. Materials and Method: This is a cross-sectional study using records from the Wits Oral Health Centre (WOHC) and National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS). The study period is 10 years from January 2008 to December 2018. Prevalence of OKS was calculated based on patients with a positive histopathological diagnosis of OKS within the study period from the NHLS database. Ethical Considerations: Permission was requested from the Academic Affairs and Research Management System (AARMS) National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) and WOHC to access patient files. Records of patients with a positive OKS histopathological diagnosis were noted. They were allocated a study number and patient number on a data sheet. The corresponding patients’ files were accessed from WOHC to attain further information (as per the data sheet). Patient confidentiality was be maintained as no names were recorded and files were allocated a number for cross-referencing between NHLS and WOHC data. Ethics clearance was attained from the Wits Human Research Ethics Committee to carry out this study. Results: The prevalence of OKS that was found in this population (137679 patients seen at WOHC) was 0.017432%(n=24). There were more females that presented with OKS than males. The mean age of presentation was 39.11 years of age (SD 12.459). There was a significant relationship between high viral loads and a low CD4 count. The palate was the site most frequently biopsied in diagnosed OKS cases. Conclusion: The prevalence of OKS over the study period was very low. The mean age of OKS presentation was 39.21 years of age. More females presented with HIV associated OKS than males and the palate was the site, from which most biopsy samples were taken in OKS diagnoses. There is a significant relationship between high viral loads and low CD4 cell counts. This study is suggestive that a possible reason for the low number of OKS cases could be administration of ART by state institutions in South Africa, this can be further investigated to establish the effect of ART on OKS.
dc.description.submitterMMM2025
dc.facultyFaculty of Health Sciences
dc.identifier.citationChetty, Hasita. (2024). Prevalence and factors of HIV associated Oral Kaposi Sarcoma at Wits Oral Health Centre, Johannesburg. [Masters dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WIReDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/45026
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/45026
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
dc.rights©2024 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
dc.rights.holderUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
dc.schoolSchool of Oral Health Sciences
dc.subjectHIV
dc.subjectOral Kaposi Sarcoma
dc.subjectNational Health Laboratory Service (NHLS)
dc.subjectWits Oral Health Centre (WOHC)
dc.subjectUCTD
dc.subject.primarysdgSDG-3: Good health and well-being
dc.subject.secondarysdgSDG-4: Quality education
dc.titlePrevalence and factors of HIV associated Oral Kaposi Sarcoma at Wits Oral Health Centre, Johannesburg
dc.typeDissertation

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