Symptomatic HIV seroconverting illness is associated with more rapid neurological impairment.

OBJECTIVES To establish whether symptomatic seroconverting illness in HIV infected people is associated with more rapid development of neurological impairment. METHODS 166 HIV infected subjects with a known date of HIV infection enrolled in a longitudinal study of neurocognitive function were stratified by whether or not they had experienced a symptomatic serconverting illness. RESULTS 29 of 166 (17.5%) dated HIV seroconverters had a history of symptomatic seroconverting illness. Though baseline neurocognitive function was similar, subjects with a symptomatic seroconverting illness developed clinical neurocognitive impairment significantly more rapidly than their asymptomatic counterparts in a survival analysis model (636 v 1075 days till impaired). CONCLUSION Symptomatic seroconverting illness predisposes to more rapid neurocognitive impairment.