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Long‐term course and outcome in AIDS patients with cerebral toxoplasmosis
Author(s) -
Arendt G.,
Giesen H.J.,
Hefter H.,
NeuenJacob E.,
Roick H.,
Jablonowski H.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1999.tb00735.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pneumocystis carinii , pediatrics , toxoplasmosis , pneumonia , dementia , encephalitis , opportunistic infection , disease , viral disease , surgery , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , immunology , pneumocystis jirovecii , virus
Objectives ‐ We compared clinical long‐term course and outcome in all AIDS patients admitted to our outpatient department from January, 1989 to June, 1998 with toxoplasma encephalitis (TE) as first AIDS‐defining infection ( n = 106) and in 106 patients with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) as first AIDS‐defining disease. Material and methods – The 2 groups were matched with respect to age, sex, risk group, degree of immunodeficiency as measured by CD4 cell counts and duration of HIV‐1‐positivity. TE was diagnosed radiologically and by response to treatment. Results – Forty‐three TE patients surviving the first TE symptoms >14 months developed dementive symptoms, leucoencephalopathy in imaging procedures and died from dementia. In contrast only 5 patients surviving PCP for an equally long period showed dementive symptoms. Conclusion – Cerebral infections like toxoplasma encephalitis (TE) may negatively influence HIV‐1‐activity so far latent in the brain.