Ascending Paralysis Associated with Hiv Infection

We present two patients with a high viral load of HIV-1 who developed symptoms of ascending paralysis leading to respiratory failure and autonomic instability. One patient had symptom improvement with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and a subsequent decrease in viral load. The other pat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings - Baylor University. Medical Center 2015-01, Vol.28 (1), p.25-28
Main Authors: Afzal, Aasim, Benjamin, Mina, Gummelt, Kyle L., Afzal, Sadaf, Shamim, Sadat, Tribble, Marc
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antiviral agents
Care and treatment
Case Studies
Causes of
Complications and side effects
Development and progression
Dosage and administration
HIV infection
Paralysis
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Summary:We present two patients with a high viral load of HIV-1 who developed symptoms of ascending paralysis leading to respiratory failure and autonomic instability. One patient had symptom improvement with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and a subsequent decrease in viral load. The other patient improved with intravenous immunoglobulin therapy and did not show much improvement on HAART alone. There are several proposed mechanisms for peripheral neuropathies seen in HIV-infected patients, including a direct action of HIV on the nerve by neurotropic strains or formation of autoantibodies against nerve elements. The comparison of the response to different therapies in these two cases highlights the importance of understanding different pathophysiologies, as the treatment modality may differ.
ISSN:0899-8280
1525-3252
DOI:10.1080/08998280.2015.11929176