The following are symptoms of Kaposi's sarcoma.
Lesions
Light-skinned people with Kaposi's sarcoma develop flat or raised spots or bumps that are pink, red, or purple in color. They appear brown to black in dark-skinned people. Lesions can develop anywhere on the body, but often appear first on the tip of the nose, the legs, or the soles of the feet. The lesions are caused by abnormal blood vessels that grow in a distorted and disorganized fashion, and by blood cells that leak out of these blood vessels.
About a third of patients with AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma develop lesions inside the mouth. AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma is often much more aggressive than classic Kaposi's sarcoma.
Kaposi's sarcoma lesions are generally not painful, but they sometimes do cause pain that can be debilitating. Lesions on the feet, for example, may make walking difficult. These lesions are treatable and usually not life threatening unless the internal organs are affected.
Other symptoms may include:
- Abdominal pain, blockage of the intestine, or gastrointestinal bleeding, which may occur if lesions develop in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, coughing up blood, and respiratory failure when lesions involve the lungs.
- Lymph node enlargement if Kaposi's sarcoma arises in the lymph nodes. Enlarged lymph nodes are also a symptom of other illnesses associated with AIDS.
- Lymphedema (excess of fluid and swelling), especially in the legs and feet, the genital area, and around the eyes.
