Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Infection of the Nervous System

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Abstract
Patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) suffer from a variety of neurologic disorders (Levy et al. 1985). Between 10% and 25% of AIDS or AIDS-related complex (ARC) patients present with neurologic symptoms (Anders et al. 1986; Navia et al. 1986a). In the terminal phases of AIDS, up to one-half of all patients develop an encephalopathy, with autopsy studies demonstrating as much as 80% with CNS pathology (Levy et al. 1985; Anders et al. 1986). Even individuals who show only serologic evidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, who are otherwise clinically normal, develop neurologic illness (Mirra et al. 1986; Lenhardt et al. 1988). We will briefly review the peripheral neuromuscular and central encephalopathic illnesses associated with HIV infection and our understanding of the pathogenesis of these diseases.