[Natural history of the HIV infection and changes in the central nervous system]

Central nervous system (CNS) becomes infected in early days of primary HIV infection. It is concerned to be one of the most important reservoirs of HIV in the human organism. It is also often affected by a number of conditions of different etiology, associated with HIV infection: opportunistic infections, neoplasms, disorders caused by HIV itself, adverse events of drugs, etc. These conditions appear in certain stages of HIV infection, connected with the state of the host's immunological system and degree of immunodeficiency. Unique physiological features of CNS cause that viral replication in CNS is to certain degree independent and different from systemic mechanisms of HIV infection. We overview the natural history of CNS HIV infection and common disorders of CNS associated with HIV regarding the stages of infection and possible mechanisms of viral entry to CNS and its progressive damage.