Clinical presentation of bipolar mania in HIV-positive patients in Uganda.
BACKGROUND
Secondary mania in HIV-positive individuals has been well documented; however, cases of bipolar mania in HIV infection occur, as well.


OBJECTIVE
This is the first controlled study of the demographic and clinical characteristics of bipolar mania and secondary mania in persons with HIV/AIDS in Uganda and Africa.


METHODS
Patients were consecutively recruited from the adult psychiatric wards of Makerere University (Uganda) teaching hospitals. Diagnosis of acute manic episode was based on DSM-IV criteria.


RESULTS
The HIV-positive patients with bipolar mania had more immune suppression and more cognitive impairment, suggesting that these patients may already have been cognitively and functionally impaired by their mental illness by the time they acquired HIV infection.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings may be used to help clinicians and policymakers recognize and design appropriate interventions for this vulnerable group of patients. Further studies to delineate the phenomenology of mania in patients with HIV infection/AIDS are warranted.
Nakimuli-Mpungu
Etheldreda
E
Department of Psychiatry, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda. ethelmpungu@yahoo.com
Musisi
Seggane
S
Mpungu
Steven Kiwuwa
SK
Katabira
Elly
E
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology