EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS ENCEPHALOPATHY IN THE UNITED-STATES

To investigate the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) encephalopathy, we analyzed cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) from September 1, 1987, through August 31, 1991. Of 144,184 persons with AIDS (PWAs), 10,553 (7.3%) were reported to have HIV encephalopathy. The proportion of PWAs with HIV encephalopathy was highest at the extremes of age: in PWAs <15 years old the proportion was 13%, and in PWAs greater-than-or-equal-to 15 years old the proportion progressively increased with age, from 6% in PWAs 15 to 34 years old to 19% in PWAs greater-than-or-equal-to 75 years old (p = 0.00001, chi-2 test for linear trend in proportions). The reported annual incidence of HIV encephalopathy per 100,000 population aged 20 to 59 years was 1.4 in 1988, 1.5 in 1989, and 1.9 in 1990. This analysis best provides estimates for HIV encephalopathy as the initial manifestation of AIDS because thc CDC AIDS reporting system often does not ascertain diagnoses after the initial AIDS report. These data suggest that age (very young or old) is associated with the development of HIV encephalopathy and that HIV encephalopathy is a common cause of dementia in adults <60 years old in the United States.