Kaposi sarcoma associated with systemic corticosteroid therapy

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) was first described in 1872 by Moritz Kaposi. Its epidemiology is suggestive of an infectious disease and in 1994 Chang and coworkers identified DNA sequences corresponding to a previously unidentified herpes virus--human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8)--in AIDS-associated KS biopsies. It is now believed that the presence of HHV-8 is a necessary condition but not sufficient on its own to cause KS. Other factors such as immunosuppression should also be considered and it is known that immunosuppressive therapy increases the risk of KS. We describe a patient who developed KS after prolonged prednisone therapy for temporal arteritis.