Use of nail and oral pigmentation to determine ART eligibility among HIV-infected Ugandan adults

Objectives 

To evaluate the use of grey/distal banded nails as an indicator of advanced immunosuppression, and thus eligibility for ART, in resource poor settings. 

Methods 

We tested whether grey/distal banded nails and/or oral pigmentation could be used to identify patients with low CD4 cell counts at two cut-offs: <200 and <350 cells/μl in ART naive adults. 

Results Four hundred and three nail and oral cavities were photographed and assessed. Grey/distal banded nails and/or oral pigmentation were significantly associated with a CD4 cell count <200 cells/μl (P < 0.001), with a sensitivity of 66%, a specificity of 50% and a negative predictive value of 77%. However, there was no association when a CD4 cell count cut-off of <350 cells/μl was used. Inter-observer agreement (k 0.46) was fair/moderate. 

Conclusions 

While grey/distal banded nails and/or oral pigmentation are associated with low CD4 counts, the sensitivity and kappa score are too low for this method to be recommended as a tool to guide ART initiation; large number of individuals eligible for ART would be missed.