[Neurologic and psychiatric manifestations of AIDS in Central African Republic]

To describe and evaluate the frequency of neurological and psychiatric manifestations in African patients with AIDS, 93 in patients at the National Hospital Center, Bangui, were chosen according to the WHO clinical definition of AIDS and were confirmed to be HIV-1 positive (92/93) or HIV-2 positive (1/93) by Western blot. Patients were given both neurologic and psychiatric examinations. Cortico-spinal fluid (CSF) analysis was performed in case of neuro-psychiatric signs. 11 patients presented neurologic symptoms: 5 had focal processes associated in 2 cases with deep coma, 4 had cryptococcal meningitidis, 1 demonstrated peripheral facial paralysis, and there was one case of abnormal movement, choréo-athétotic type. 4 patients presented frank psychiatric symptoms (3 dementia syndromes, one of whom was HIV-2 positive, and 1 case of hallucinatory psychosis). CSF analysis was only helpful in the etiologic diagnosis of cryptococcal infection. The mortality rate in these 15 patients was 60% during the 2-month study. In this series, neurologic and/or psychiatric symptoms were detected in 16 (15/93)% of African patients with AIDS.