Kaposi's sarcoma epidemiology and demographics

Epidemiological Varieties
Classic KS As originally described was a relatively indolent disease affecting elderly men from the Mediterranean region, or of Eastern European Jewish descent.

Endemic KS Was described later in young African people, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, as a more aggressive disease which infiltrated the skin extensively, especially on the lower limbs. This, it should be noted, is unrelated to HIV infection.

Transplant Related KS Had been described, but only rarely until the advent of calcineurin inhibitors (such as ciclosporin, which are inhibitors of T-cell function) for transplant patients in the 1980s, when its incidence grew rapidly.

Epidemic KS Was described during the 1980s as an aggressive disease in AIDS patients (HIV also causes a defect in T-cell immunity). It is over 300 times more common in AIDS patients than in renal transplant recipients.

Note that HHV-8 is responsible for all varieties of KS.