HIV-Associated Distal Sensory Polyneuropathy in the Era of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

Abstract

With the availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), peripheral neuropathy has emerged as the most common AIDS-associated neurologic disorder.^1,2 Concurrent with expanding use of HAART, there have been shifts in the demographic composition of individuals affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).³ Therefore, changing demographics and evolving therapies have altered manifestations of HIV-related diseases and, in doing so, may affect their pathogenesis. An example of this is AIDS-associated dementia, in which evidence suggests that traditional associations with cerebrospinal fluid viral load and immune activation may no longer pertain.⁴