Gastaut JL, Pouget J, Valentin P, Lafeuillade A, Dhiver C, Gastaut JA; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 1991 Jun 16-21; 7: 186 (abstract no. M.B.2019).

Department of Neurology, Hopital Sainte Marguerite, Marseille, France

OBJECTIVE: Symptomatic cases of autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction are rare. Nevertheless some systematic functional studies of ANS in HIV+ patients have revealed the possibility of a subclinical dysautonomia. We wanted to determine its prevalence in HIV+ patients. METHODS: At the present time we have studied the ANS function in 47 HIV+ patients belonging to CDC groups I, II, III and IV, and in 40 controls. All of them were free of central and/or peripheral nervous system symptoms or signs. None had disease or toxic abuse known to induce dysautonomia. To study the ANS (small unmyelinated or myelinated C fibres) we used 3 non invasive tests measuring heart rate responses during deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver and standing up. We considered that there was an ANS dysfunction when 2 or 3 of those tests were abnormal. We studied also vibratory perception thresholds (myelinated A alpha and beta fibres) and thermal perception thresholds (small myelinated A delta and C and unmyelinated C fibres). RESULTS: Comparative studies of the results showed: 1) no statistically significant difference between control group and HIV+ patients; 2) no differences between CDC groups. Nevertheless an individual analysis comparing the normal values obtained in the control group and the values obtained in patients showed that in HIV+ patients 25% had 2 abnormal tests and 6% had 3 abnormal tests. CONCLUSION: This study provides support for the presence of subclinical autonomic dysfunction in 31% of HIV+ subjects. Those abnormalities tend to progress during the illness since they are 3 times more frequent in CDC groups IV than in groups I, II and III.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Autonomic Nervous System
• Autonomic Nervous System Diseases
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
• Control Groups
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• Heart Rate
• Humans
• Prevalence
• Respiration
• United States
• Valsalva Maneuver

Other ID:

• 1201991

UI: 102182942

From Meeting Abstracts