Neurological disease in HIV-infected patients in the era of highly active antiretroviral treatment: a Brazilian experience

To study characteristics of neurological disorders in HIV/AIDS patients and their relationship to highly active antiretroviral treatment, a cross-sectional study was conducted in an infectious disease public hospital in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, between February 1999 and March 2000. Of the 417 patient...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical 2006-03, Vol.39 (2), p.146-151
Main Authors: Oliveira, Jacqueline Ferreira de, Greco, Dirceu Bartolomeu, Oliveira, Guilherme Correa, Christo, Paulo Pereira, Guimarães, Mark Drew Crosland, Oliveira, Rodrigo Corrêa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
AIDS Dementia Complex - epidemiology
AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections - epidemiology
Antiretroviral agents
Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active
Brazil - epidemiology
Central Nervous System Infections - epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Infectious diseases
Male
Middle Aged
Neurological complications
Toxoplasmosis
TROPICAL MEDICINE
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Summary:To study characteristics of neurological disorders in HIV/AIDS patients and their relationship to highly active antiretroviral treatment, a cross-sectional study was conducted in an infectious disease public hospital in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, between February 1999 and March 2000. Of the 417 patients enrolled, neurological disease was observed in 194 (46.5%) and a new AIDS-defining neurological event developed in 23.7% of individuals. Toxoplasmosis (42.3%), cryptococcosis meningitis (12.9%) and tuberculosis (10.8%) were the most common causes of neurological complications. The majority (79.3%) of patients were on highly active antiretroviral treatment and these individuals using HAART showed higher CD4 cell counts (p = 0.014) and presented stable neurological disease (p = 0.0001), although no difference was found with respect to the profile of neurological complications. The neurological diseases continue to be a frequent complication of HIV/AIDS and infections are still its main causes in Brazil, even in the highly active antiretroviral treatment era.
ISSN:0037-8682
1678-9849
0037-8682
1678-9849
DOI:10.1590/s0037-86822006000200002