Opsoclonus-myoclonus-ataxia syndrome in an HIV-infected child

Opsoclonus-myoclonus-ataxia (OMA) syndrome typically presents with chaotic eye movements and myoclonus with some patients exhibiting ataxia and behavioural disturbances. The pathogenesis may be inflammatory with an infectious or paraneoplastic trigger. We present a 13-year-old HIV-infected girl who was initially started on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in March 2013 with a CD4 count of 79 cells/cumm. Initially, the patient did not comply with treatment, resulting in a CD4+ count of 77 cells/mm³ in November 2015 and prompting a new HAART scheme comprising lamivudine, tenofovir and ritonavir-boosted atazanavir. Shortly after starting this scheme, she developed OMA syndrome in January 2016. She was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and methylprednisolone followed by oral steroids along with oral clonazepam and gradually recovered. We suggest immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome as a possible aetiology of OMA in HIV-infected children.