title: [Cerebrospinal fluid in 50 AIDS patients].
abstract: Fifty AIDS patients were studied. All patients had anti-HIV antibodies (ELISA) present and met OPAS/Caracas punctuation criteria for AIDS cases in adults. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis included pressure, cytology (number of cytomorphological aspects), total protein and electrophoresis, glucose and chloride concentration. Bacteriological and mycological investigations were performed as well as agglutination tests for Cryptococcus. Complement fixation, indirect immunoflorescence, passive hemagglutination and/or ELISA tests were performed for syphilis, toxoplasmosis, viral and fungal infections. All CSF analysis were made in the same laboratory following the same methodology. CSF was altered in 45 cases (90.0%) of the 50 patients studied. The most important alterations observed were: gammaglobulin (55.5%) and total protein (51.1%) increase, hypercytosis (48.9%) and decrease of chloride concentration (40.0%). HIV antibodies were detected in 42 patients (93.3%). Toxomoplamosis, isolated or associated to other agents, was the most frequent opportunistic infection (57.7%). Cerebrospinal fluid should always be examined in AIDS patients with or without neurological symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Doenças Infecciosas e Paraitárias, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hinrichsen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ataíde Junior
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Travassos
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Travassos
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alburquerque
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moura
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Arraes
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Amorim
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Luz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Braga
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D012016:Reference Values