Cerebrovascular Disease in HIV-Infected Patients

Neurological complications of HIV-1 infection, due either to the immunosuppression (opportunistic infections and neoplasms) or the neurotropism of the virus, are common and add considerably to the morbidity and mortality of the infection. Their frequency varies according to the stage of the disease. They have been reported to represent 10–15% of symptomatic primo-infection, and are the first manifestation of AIDS in 10–20% of symptomatic HIV-1 infection cases. Their prevalence in clinical studies has been estimated to range from 40 to 70%, and a prospective study revealed that neurological findings were present in 90% of AIDS patients examined by a neurologist