New onset seizures in HIV--seizure semiology, CD4 counts, and viral loads.

Thirty-seven HIV-positive patients with new-onset seizures (NOS) were prospectively identified during a 1-year study period. The patients were categorized according to the different mechanisms causing NOS in HIV, namely focal brain lesion (FBL) in 21 patients (57%), meningitis in 6 patients (16%), metabolic derangement (no patient), and no identified cause (NIC) other than HIV itself (10 patients, 27%). Seizure semiology, CD4 counts, and blood and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) viral loads were studied to identify any special characteristics of the different categories. With respect to seizure semiology, all NIC patients had generalized seizures. Two-thirds of the meningitis patients had generalized seizures with one-third having focal seizures. Half of the patients with FBL had generalized seizures and one-third had focal seizures. Status epilepticus was strongly associated with FBL. No significant difference could be detected between the subgroups with respect to CD4 counts and serum and CSF viral loads. The median CD4 count in all patients was 108 cells/ml, indicating advanced immunosuppression. In the FBL group this was 104 cells/ml. In the meningitis group the median CD4 count was 298 cells/ml, and in the NIC group this was 213 cells/ml. Similarly, no differences were noted in the NOS categories with respect to serum and CSF viral loads. Seizures in HIV are a nonspecific manifestation of the seizure mechanism.

Is stroke a HIV-related neurologic manifestation?

Neurologic illnesses occur commonly in association with HIV infection, are frequently debilitating and often life-threatening. The commonly recognized HIV-related neurologic illnesses include encephalopathy (dementia), myelopathy, neuropathy and myopathy. Stroke as a HIV-related manifestation is an increasingly recognized and evolving issue. This article reviews the literature on the association of stroke and HIV, stroke risk and stroke mechanisms in HIV-infected patients, and the role of antiretroviral drugs in HIV-related stroke.

The frequency and profile of neurology in black South African HIV infected (clade C) patients - a hospital-based prospective audit.

AIM: To determine the frequency and spectrum of neurological illnesses in Black South African hospital-based HIV infected (clade C) patients. METHOD: A prospective audit of 506 consecutive HIV infected medical inpatients at the Helen Joseph Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa. RESULTS: The patients had a mean age of 37 years; a male:female ratio of 1.2:1; a mean CD4 count of 107 cells/ml. Eighty four percent of patients had AIDS defining CD4 counts (less than 200 cells/ml). Seventy five percent of patients had a neurological illness. In 64% the neurological illness occurred in association with a non-neurological (systemic) illness. Eleven percent of patients had an isolated neurological illness. The predominant systemic illness was tuberculosis (TB), occurring with a frequency of 46%. The neurological spectrum in our patients was similar to that described in the literature, (clade B virus data) other than for a greater frequency of infectious illnesses. CONCLUSION: The neurological profile of HIV infection is a function of the environment and the immunological state of the patient (CD4 count) rather than an influence of the clade.

Stroke in black South African HIV-positive patients: a prospective analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke associated with HIV infection is poorly characterized. In this study we analyze the association in a black African population. METHODS: The clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics of 35 hospital-based black South African, heterosexual, HIV-infected patients who did not abuse intravenous drugs and presented with strokes were prospectively studied. The patients were antiretroviral therapy naive. Patients with other intracranial space-occupying lesions were excluded from the study. RESULTS: The age range was 20 to 61 years (mean, 32.1 years). There were 21 female and 14 male patients, with a female to male ratio of 1.5:1. Cerebral infarction occurred in 33 patients (94%) and intracerebral hemorrhage in 2 patients (6%). Underlying causes were identified in 30 of the 35 patients (86%) and included coagulopathies, meningitis, cardioembolism, and hypertension. The most common coagulopathy was protein S deficiency. No cause was found in 5 patients (14%). CONCLUSIONS: The results are similar to data from studies on young black African stroke patients who are HIV negative.

New onset seizures in HIV-infected patients without intracranial mass lesions or meningitis--a clinical, radiological and SPECT scan study.

Fifteen HIV-infected patients who presented with new onset seizures (NOS) as the sole neurological manifestation, in whom no cause for the seizure was identifiable, were studied. The patients were mainly female with an average age of 31.3 years. They had generalised new onset seizures with a latency of 1.6 months between the discovery of the HIV positivity and the onset of the seizure. The neurological examinations were normal with no dementia. The electroencephalographic examinations were either normal or there was a generalised epileptic disturbance (GED). The patients have AIDS defining CD4+ T lymphocyte cell counts. There was a high prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) or multiple non-neurological illnesses in our study group. They have normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis except for the presence of the HIV virus. All the patients have normal computerised tomogram (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain. All the patients studied have abnormal right or left temporal lobe perfusion defects on the SPECT scan studies of the brain. The findings suggest that the new onset seizures in the HIV-infected patients are associated with direct HIV infection. The SPECT scan findings suggest that the HIV virus induce a focal metabolic abnormality or encephalopathy. The new onset seizure is then the manifestation of this abnormality.