title: Addison's disease and severe encephalopathy in an infant with HIV infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To discuss the overlapping clinical spectrum of encephalopathy due to Addison's disease and HIV infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report a 2.5-year-old boy from Uzbekistan with recurrent episodes of encephalopathy and seizures, triggered by infection or vaccinations, in whom adrenal insufficiency and infection with HIV and HCV was diagnosed. Presumably, Addisonian crises prompted hypovolemic shock and blood transfusions, which were responsible for horizontal HIV infection. The combination of adrenal insufficiency and HIV infection eventually led to progressive severe encephalopathy. Despite highly active antiretroviral therapy (which led to substantial reduction of blood viral load), the neurological condition did not improve.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The interactions of Addison's disease and HIV in the pathogenesis of encephalopathy are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinik und Poliklinik für Kinder und Jugendliche, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. Skadi.Beblo@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: Skadi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beblo
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Allmendinger
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pfäffle
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strehlau
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wintergerst
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.forename: Wieland
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kiess
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Merkenschlager
mesh_terms: D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D000224:Addison Disease / Q000150:complications*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012769:Shock / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014610:Uzbekistan / Q000208:ethnology