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PubMed · 2700297

[AIDS dementia complex].

J Abos·J Alom·F Graus
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Abstract

The AIDS dementia complex (ADC) is the SNC complaint that appears most frequently in AIDS patients. ADC is characterized by a subacute onset of dementia accompanied by motor disturbance and changes in behaviour and is considered to be directly caused by HIV-1. Very frequent in advanced stages of AIDS, it can also be the way in which the illness appears. In 90% of the necropsies of these patients a diffuse demyelination of the white substance is observed with multinucleate cells appearing in 40% of the cases. Up to now, the factors triggering this disease are not well understood, nevertheless, the immunosuppression present in these individuals could act as a factor favouring the appearance of ADC. A specific marker does not exist and, therefore, the complementary studies can only help to eliminate other causes of neurological complaints. Successful tests of treatment with zidovudine have been made, although it would be necessary to carry out studies with a larger number of patients to be able to evaluate its long-term efficacity.

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J Abos, J Alom, F Graus. 1989. [AIDS dementia complex].. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2700297/

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PubMed1992

Detection of a vigorous HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte response in cerebrospinal fluid from infected persons with AIDS dementia complex.

AIDS dementia complex is a common neurologic disorder in later stages of HIV-1 infection. Because virus-specific CTL have been shown to contribute to neurologic disease in certain viral illnesses, we examined the cerebrospinal fluid of HIV-1-infected persons with various stages of AIDS dementia complex for the presence of HIV-1-specific CTL. In five of six subjects studied, HIV-1-specific CTL were identified in the cerebrospinal fluid. These CTL were directed at epitopes within the gag, reverse transcriptase, envelope, and nef proteins and restricted by HLA class I Ag. In four of these subjects, virus-specific CTL were detected in higher numbers in the cerebrospinal fluid compared to the peripheral blood, suggesting a specific recruitment to or local induction within the nervous system. These studies demonstrate the presence of a vigorous and broadly directed CTL response to HIV-1 in the central nervous system of infected persons with AIDS dementia complex, and provide immunologic evidence of localized intrathecal infection. Although HIV-1-specific CTL may serve to inhibit viral replication in the central nervous system, the presence of a persistent CTL response in the central nervous system may also contribute to the neurologic disorders characteristic of HIV-1 infection.

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