Seroprevalence of HIV infection in a population of neurological patients in the Central African Republic

In order to evaluate the predictivity of neurological signs and symptoms in african patients, in Bangui's National Hospital Center (Central African Republic), 79 inpatients (aged 15-65 years) presenting with neurological manifestations (vascular attack, proved metabolic coma, or neuro-paludism excluded), and 64 age and sex matched controls in the same ward, without neurological or AIDS-related symptoms, were tested for the presence of HIV1-antibodies. 51/79 (65%) patients with neurological manifestations were HIV1-seropositive, and 10 (16%) of 64 controls (P less than 0.001). The positive predictive value (PPV) for HIV1 was 100% for patients with cutaneous zona (9 cases), Bell's palsy (4 cases) or cryptococcal meningitis (8 cases). The PPV for HIV1 was less important for the other neurological disorders: 43% for purulent meningitis (21 cases), 62% for major involvements of the central nervous system, without diagnosed etiology (32 cases; in which 13 were meningo-encephalitis, 16 focal deficits and 3 possible meningeal tuberculosis). In central Africa, the predictivity of neurological manifestations is high for HIV1 infection that emphasises the need for including neurological signs in clinical case definitions of AIDS in Africa.