Severe aseptic leucoencephalopathy as immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome in Caucasian and African patients

Objective: To assess if CNS Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS) may become manifest in form of aseptic inflammation presenting as severe leucoencephalopathy after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-1-positive patients. Design: We describe a case series of immunocompromised HIV-1-positive patients who were started on HAART. All of them had clinical, laboratory follow-up tests and cerebral MRI in order to investigate the course and the underlying pathophysiology of an aseptic form of IRIS. One patient died and we performed a neuropathological examination. Methods: HIV-1-positive pat…