[Peripheral facial paralysis and HIV infection]

Two cases of peripheral facial paralysis associated with infection by the human immunodeficiency virus in young intravenous drug abuser patients are reported. One patient manifested AIDS-related complex (ARC) and the other fulfilled the Center for Disease Control (CDC) criteria for AIDS. Clinical symptoms and signs occurred as facial paralysis and headache. One patient presented progressive motor slowing and the computerized tomography (CT) of the brain showed a wide hypodense lesion in the left temporal-anterior region and the involvement of the left basal ganglia. In this patient the impairment of the facial nerve was associated with a HIV-related encephalitis. In the second patient the CT did not show cerebral lesions and the etiology of the paralysis was unknown.