The Neurological Features of HIV-Positive Patients in Glasgow--A Retrospective Study of 90 Cases

A retrospective study of the neurological problems arising inHIV-I seropositive patients in a single defined geographicalarea was undertaken. Ninety patients were referred for a neurologicalopinion from a total known HIV-I seropositive population of436. Minor problems were frequently encountered early in thecourse of disease (20 at CDC stage II, 12 at CDC stage III),including seizures related to drug abuse in six. The most frequentneurological problem in those patients in CDC group IV (58 patients)were the AIDS dementia complex (14 patients), an axonal sensorimotorneuropathy (12), toxoplasmosis (nine) and cryptococcal meningitis(three). All patients with a structural lesion had appropriatefocal signs on examination. The value and role of CT cranialscanning in the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis is discussed andthe importance of recognizing potentially treatable causes ofboth intellectual impairment and cytomegalovirus-related neuropathiesis stressed. This is the First report of an unselected seriesof patients at all stages of HIV-I related neurological diseasefrom a single UK centre.