title: Ischaemic cerebrovascular events in HIV infection: a cohort study.
abstract: Several case reports and series described ischaemic cerebrovascular events in HIV infection. However, the exact prevalence and the clinical features of these events are unknown. We performed a cohort study on 772 consecutive HIV infected patients and evaluated the rate of transient ischaemic attacks (TIA) and of completed stroke. A total prevalence of 1.9% for TIA (0.8%) and stroke (1.2%) was calculated resulting in an annual incidence rate of 216 per 100000. The prevalence was highest in the later stages of the infection. Stroke patients had a poorer immunological state than the TIA and the cohort patients. Probable (n = 3) and possible (n = 2) vasculitis and cardiogenic embolism (n = 2) could be detected as aetiology, the remaining patients had a cryptogenic event. Our data suggest that ischaemic cerebrovascular events are more common in HIV infected patients than in the general population and that a part of these events might be caused by HIV associated vasculitis or vasculopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Münster, Germany. everss@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Evers
authors.forename: Darius
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nabavi
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rahmann
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heese
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reichelt
authors.forename: Ingo-W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Husstedt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000209:etiology; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000503:physiopathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens