Kaposi's sarcoma history and symptoms

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Haytham Allaham, M.D. [2]

Overview

Symptoms of Kaposi's sarcoma include fever, abdominal pain, hematochezia, hemoptysis, and gradual development of red/violaceous macules and patches over the nose, legs, and feet.

History

• When evaluating a patient for Kaposi's sarcoma, you should take a detailed history of the presenting symptom (duration, onset, progression), a thorough family history review, and a review of any other associated symptoms. When obtaining the history focus on:

• History of multiple sexual partners
• Sexual preference of the patients
• Any previous sexual contact with AIDS patients
• Previous medical history of AIDS
• Previous history of organ transplant
• Detailed drug history concerning any immunosuppressive therapy

Symptoms

• General symptoms of Kaposi's sarcoma include:

• Fever
• Weight loss

• The specific clinical presentation of Kaposi's sarcoma is determined by the exact anatomical location of the tumor such as:

• Kaposi's sarcoma located on the skin may present with:

• Red or violaceous macules and patches
• Gradually develop over the legs, nose, and feet
• Increase in size of the lesion, which may coalesce to form nodules or plaques
• The color of the lesions may change into blue, purple, or brown as the disease progress

• Kaposi's sarcoma located in the oral cavity may present with:

• Sore, recurrent bleeding of the gum and hard palate
• Swallowing difficulties
• Breathing diffuclties

• Kaposi's sarcoma located in the gastrointestinal tract may present with:

• Melena
• Hematochezia
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea and vomiting

• Kaposi's sarcoma located in the respiratory tract may present with:

• Hemoptysis
• Shortness of breath
• Recurrent cough
• Chest pain

References

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