Stroke in HIV infection and AIDS

HIV/AIDS appears to increase the risk of both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. This increased risk is most apparent in the young HIV-infected population in which other risk factors for stroke are seldom evident. Mechanisms underlying the increased risk include opportunistic infectious meningitides and vasculitides, primary HIV vasculopathy, altered coagulation and cardioembolic events, although the cause may be multifactorial or remain cryptic. With better control of HIV via effective, highly active antiretroviral therapy, the role of many of these risks has been mitigated, only to be supplanted by an aging population with more conventional atherosclerotic risk factors magnified by the hyperlipidemia attending the use of protease inhibitors. Selecting the appropriate therapy for treating stroke in the HIV-infected patient is dependent on diagnostic rigor in identifying its underlying etiology.