Clinical neuropathy in HIV/AIDS: an eight-year review of hospitalized patients in Sokoto, northwestern Nigeria

• Published in: Tropical doctor 2009-07, Vol.39 (3), p.133-135
• Main Authors: Isezuo, S A, Sani, A Z, Ezunu, E, Maiyaki, S, Njoku, C H, Obembe, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; AIDS-Associated Nephropathy - drug therapy; AIDS-Associated Nephropathy - etiology; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; Biological and medical sciences; Female; General aspects; Hospitalization; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunodeficiencies; Immunodeficiencies. Immunoglobulinopathies; Immunopathology; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids
• ISSN: 0049-4755; 1758-1133
• DOI: 10.1258/td.2008.080313

HIV/AIDS is a multi-systemic disease that targets mainly the immune and nervous systems. Although about 4.4% of Nigerians are infected with HIV, data on the spectrum of HIV-related nervous disease in this population is rare. This study describes the neurological manifestations of HIV/AIDS in northern Nigeria. We undertook retrospective and descriptive analyses of the demographic, clinical, neurologic and laboratory data of all hospitalized HIV/AIDS adults in a referral hospital in northwestern Nigeria. The study period covered 2000 to 2007. We studied 322 HIV/AIDS patients (218 men, 104 women) aged 33.4 ± 11.4 years (range: 18–65 years) who constituted 3.5% of the total medical admissions. HIV transmission was exclusively by heterosexual intercourse involving multiple partners. The majority (70.2%) was married and 78.9% were in stage III/IV HIV/AIDS disease. Fifty-two (16.2%) had CD4+ T-cell count determination, the mean value being 220 ± 147.2 cells/m3, and 58 (18.0%) were on highly active antiretroviral therapy. Fifty-one (15.8%) had neurological complications dominated by central nervous diseases including encephalitis (17.6%), dementia (16.2%) and stroke (14.9%). Peripheral nerve involvements were relatively infrequent. Compared with HIV/AIDS patients without neurological complications, a significantly higher proportion of those with HIV-associated neuropathy had a stage IV disease (30% versus 9.4%, χ2 = 19.5, P < 0.001). Neurological complications, particularly central nervous diseases, are an important cause of morbidity in the HIV/AIDS population.