INCIDENCE OF EXTRAPYRAMIDAL SYNDROMES IN AIDS PATIENTS AND A COMPARISON GROUP OF MEDICALLY ILL INPATIENTS

The authors retrospectively reviewed the charts of 29 inpatients with AIDS and 24 medically ill inpatients, all of whom were exposed to neur oleptics. Results adjusted for age, gender, type and dosage of neurole ptic, and extrapyramidal prophylaxis indicated that inpatients with AI DS were 7 times move likely to develop extrapyramidal syndromes (EPS) from neuroleptics than the comparison group of medically ill inpatient s. Possible neuroanatomic, neuropathologic, and neurochemical reasons for the vulnerability of patients with AIDS to EPS are reviewed.