Neuro-psychiatric manifestations of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has been spreading in Africa and other continents of the world. While there is a dearth of information on AIDS-related neuro-psychiatric disorders in the African population, data from Europe and America indicate that patients with AIDS experience a lot of psycho-social difficulties and suffer from a variety of psychiatric syndromes such as anxiety state, depression, manic illness and schizophreniform disorder. Neurological sequelae of AIDS include acute and sub-acute encephalitis, meningitis, myelopathy, chorioretinitis and peripheral neuropathy. These changes may occur from direct neuropathic effects of human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) or secondary to opportunistic infections and neoplasms involving the central nervous system. It is suggested that psychiatrists need to be fully involved at all levels of clinical care, education and research on AIDS. Attention should be focussed on the neuro-psychiatric consequences of AIDS in the African population to allow for cross-cultural comparison. In addition, the need to incorporate information and education programmes on AIDS into the primary health care programmes of developing countries is emphasised.