Protracted cutaneous disorders in association with low CD4+ lymphocyte counts

We report two patients with skin disorders usually associated with severe immunosuppression, who had low CD4+ lymphocyte counts but normal immunoglobulin levels. The patients were HIV negative, and had CD4+ lymphocyte counts just above 300/mm3, but they presented with cutaneous manifestations of profound immunodeficiency. Idiopathic CD4+ lymphocyte deficiency is a recently described syndrome which may present with dermatological disease. We discuss the symptom complex of our patients in relationship to the diagnosis of idiopathic CD4+ lymphocyte deficiency.