Encephalopathy as a presentation of pediatric AIDS: case report

Fifty to ninety percent of pediatric AIDS cases are complicated by neurologic dysfunction. We present a case of a 5-year-old black female with AIDS encephalopathy and Mycobacterium avium intracellulare. Her initial presentation was that of neuroencephalopathy with loss of developmental milestones, pyramidal tract signs, and subsequent evidence of cortical atrophy. Her initial CT scan at the time of frank encephalopathy was normal, whereas 18 months into the clinical course of her encephalopathy, her CT scan of the head demonstrated typical ventricular dilatation and severe cortical atrophy consonant with her clinical picture. She subsequently developed Mycobacterium avium intracellulare documented by gastric aspirate culture and other opportunistic infections including Candida esophagitis. Her neuroencephalopathy plateaued with continued evidence of immune dysfunction and mycobacterium by gastric aspirate, despite triple antibiotic therapy with INH, streptomycin, Pyrazinamide with later addition of Rifampin and final substitution of the investigational congener Rifabutin. AIDS encephalopathy and Mycobacterium intracellulare are discussed in terms of their prognosis and therapy, particularly in view of new reports of the application of AZT and immunoglobulin therapy.