Profile of neurologic disorders associated with HIV/AIDS from Bangalore, south India (1989-96)

One hundred patients (95 males, 5 females, mean age at presentation 31.6 +/ - 9.4 yr) with various neurological disorders associated with HIV infection during 1989-1996 were evaluated at NIMHANS, Bangalore. Eighty patients bel onged to group I associated with opportunistic neuroinfections and 20 to gr oup II - non infectious neurological disorders, Cryptococcal meningitis eit her alone (n=31) or associated with tuberculous meningitis (n=6) was the mo st common (46.3%) followed by neurotuberculosis either alone (n=24) or with cerebral toxoplasmosis (n=4) accounting for 35 per cent. Other opportunist ic neoroinfections included cerebral toxoplasmosis, herpes tester, fulminan t pyogenic meningitis and neurosyphilis. Clinical characteristics, diagnost ic clues, their laboratory and radiological profiles and problems encounter ed in diagnosis and management of these opportunistic infections are highli ghted. In group II (19 males and one female; mean age of 32.6 +/- 9.4 yr), two patients had cortical dementia, three acute brain stem involvement, two epilepsy and one had features suggestive of progressive multifocal leukoen cephalopathy, Two patients of group I during follow up developed cortical d ementia. Six had peripheral nervous system involvement similar to Guillain- Barre syndrome. Sixty six patients (63 of group I and 3 of group II) progre ssed to AIDS, 33 patients from group I and one patient from group II succum bed to the disease. With the rapid increase in the incidence of HIV/AIDS an d an increase in the neurological manifestations of HIV/AIDS it is importan t to recognise the magnitude of the problem for health planning in India.