Adrenal insufficiency and diabetes mellitus secondary to the use of topical corticosteroids for cosmetic purpose.

We report a case of symptomatic topical corticosteroid-induced adrenal insufficiency and diabetes in a 46-yr old HIV 1 positive woman of African descent. Topical Betamethasone dipropionate 0.05%-containing creams were used for the purpose of bleaching over a 2 month period prior to the acute episode. She recovered from her acute onset diabetes with ketosis and adrenal insufficiency a few months after withdrawal of corticosteroids. Despite possible discussion about pathophysiology of diabetes because acute-onset remitting diabetes is not rare in patients of African descent, and diabetes may occur in patients taking anti-retroviral treatments, no other cause of a hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis disorder was found. This case suggests that chronic use of high dose topical corticosteroid containing creams should be ruled out in patients presenting with Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal hypofunction.

[Prophylactic antiretroviral therapy after sexual exposure to HIV: 93 cases]. / Traitement antirétroviral prophylactique après exposition sexuelle au VIH: 93 cas.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied prospectively the feasibility of post exposure prophylaxis against HIV in 93 subjects consulting after sexual exposure at STD Center of Hopital Saint-Louis. Among the 93 subjects, 76 were men (45 homosexual) and 17 women. RESULTS: Delay to consultation was 38 h. Among sexual exposure 90 p. 100 were anal or vaginal intercourse and 10 p. 100 oral intercourse. Fifty percent were unprotected. Seventy-five percent of source subject HIV status was unknown, but controlled negative in 14 p. 100 of cases. Three subjects were infected initially. Seventy-two subjects were treated, with triple regimen, for 30 days without severe adverse event. Twenty-five percent were lost to follow up before the end of treatment, only 54 controlled their serology after the end of treatment (after 1 month: 70 p. 100, after 2 months: 51 p. 100 and after 4-6 months: 13 p. 100). DISCUSSION: This study underlines the difficulty in obtaining clinical and serological control after post exposure prophylaxis, even in a STD Department involved in prevention and counseling.