[An autopsy case of AIDS with disseminated cytomegalovirus infection and neurological disturbance].

We report a case of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) complicated by disseminated CMV infection and neurological disturbance. A 21 years old male with hemophilia A was diagnosed as having AIDS in Feb. 1986 because of interstitial pneumonia and esophageal candidiasis. Since Jan. 1987 he had complained of hypesthesia in the legs. On Mar. 14 he was admitted due to diarrhea. The laboratory data revealed that WBC was 4,000/microliters including 29% of lymphocytes, 1.6% of OKT4+-, 71.6% of OKT8+-lymphocytes, T4/T8 ratio 0.02 and positive HIV antibody and HTLV-1 antibody. After the admission, sensory disturbance exacerbated to complicate paraplegia. He developed acute hepatitis associated with leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, pneumonia and melena, and eventually died on May 29. The autopsy findings disclosed CMV infection in the lungs, colons, and adrenal glands, suggesting that the primary cause of death was adrenal insufficiency. Degeneration of cerebro-spinal nerve cells and peripheral neuritis were thought to result from direct HIV infection to the nervous system.