Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1989. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
OVERVIEW OF AIDS AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
AIDS and the Nervous System. Rosenblum ML et al, eds. New York, Raven Press, p. 1-12, 1988.. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/89648460 Rosenblum ML; Levy RM; Bredesen DE; Dept. of Neurosurgery, Box 0112, Room M-786, Univ. of California; Sch. of Medicine, San Francisco, CA 94143
Abstract:
The neurological manifestations of AIDS are being observed with an increasing frequency that parallels the increasing number of AIDS cases. Neurological syndromes occur in patients (pts) with AIDS, pts with AIDS-related complex (ARC), and in HIV-seropositive pts without other symptoms. Certain diseases associated with AIDS, such as HIV encephalopathy and vacuolar myelopathy, have never been identified before; multiple intracranial processes have been observed clinically in almost 15% of pts. The symptoms and signs of many AIDS-associated neurological syndromes overlap extensively, making bedside diagnosis difficult. The epidemiology and etiology of AIDS, including classification of HIV infections and groups at risk for AIDS, are described, and the impact of AIDS on the practice of neurology and neurosurgery is discussed. In addition, a synopsis is provided of the other 18 chapters of the book of which this article is a part. The authors have estimated that AIDS may be one of the leading causes of death in the United States by 1991. By 1991, 1848 cases of primary CNS lymphoma might be observed annually in pts with AIDS; this incidence will exceed that of low grade astrocytomas and approach that of meningiomas. The annual number of cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy associated with AIDS is estimated to be 978, equivalent to the yearly number of cases of Huntington's disease and myasthenia gravis. Since 12.8% of all AIDS pts develop clinical evidence of HIV encephalopathy and 16% of these (2.0% of all pts) first present with the encephalopathy, it is estimated that there were 1817 such cases in 1986. For 1991, the authors' predictions suggest that there will be 13,144 cases. The number of brain biopsies, performed in pts without a prior diagnosis of AIDS who present with CNS mass lesions and in those in whom empirical treatment of CNS masses fails, could reach 5978 by 1991, equal to the yearly incidence of malignant astrocytoma. (21 Refs)
Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/CLASSIFICATION/*COMPLICATIONS Human Nervous System Diseases/*ETIOLOGY Opportunistic Infections/ETIOLOGY Prognosis Risk Factors MONOGRAPH REVIEW, TUTORIAL REVIEW
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Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1989. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
