title: Spectrum of cerebrospinal fluid findings in various stages of human immunodeficiency virus infection.
abstract: This report summarizes the results of neurologic and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) study findings in over 400 of the 649 human immunodeficiency virus-infected US Air Force personnel, evaluated as of Dec 31, 1987. Eighty percent of these patients were entirely asymptomatic and immunologically normal, 13% had low T-helper lymphocyte counts and/or cutaneous anergy, and only 7% had opportunistic infection. Sixty-three percent of all patients had some CSF abnormality. Sixty percent of the asymptomatic group had at least one abnormal result, over 25% had three or four CSF abnormalities, and over 7% had five or six abnormal values. When patients with evidence of blood-brain barrier leak were excluded, significant differences were seen between disease groups with regard to CSF glucose, CSF IgG levels, and CSF IgG synthesis. No human immunodeficiency virus-related central nervous system abnormalities were found on neurologic examination in immunologically intact asymptomatic patients regardless of CSF findings. No clear-cut predictor of impending central nervous system complications has, as yet, been identified from the CSF parameters studied.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, US Air Force (USAF) Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base (AFB), Tex. 78236-5300.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Brey
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Cahill
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Houk
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Zajac
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Boswell
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D012709:Serum Albumin