Clinical features and etiologies affecting nervous system in HIV patients

Abstract

Background: The first reported case of AIDS was in United States in 1981.Objective: To study the clinical features and etiologies affecting nervous system in HIV patients. Methodology: The study was conducted at VIMS hospital, Ballari Patients who were HIV positive attending outpatient and inpatent services at VIMS, who fulfill the criteria for this study, were included. The study duration was from October 2017 to September 2018. Results: Patient’s age ranged from 18 years to 58 years with female: male ratio – 1: 1.5. Meningitis was the commonest neurological presentation in HIV infection in this study around 62%. Tuberculosis was the single most common organism affecting CNS (46 %.). Headache, fever and altered sensorium were commonest symptoms in HIV patients. Cryptococcal meningitis was present in 20% of the cases of HIV infection in this study. Headache and fever were commonest symptoms. It occurred in HIV infection as indicated mean CD4 count of 85.6/ cumm. 2 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome were noted. Conclusion: Meningitis was the commonest manifestation (62%) comprising of 18 cases of tubercular meningitis, 10 cases of cryptococcal meningitis and 3 cases of bacterial meningitis. Tuberculosis was the commonest disease affecting nervous system (23/50) with 5 of these patients having intracranial space occupying lesion (tuberculoma) and the rest were meningitis.