AIDS dementia complex in China

The AIDS dementia complex (ADC) is one of the most common neurological complications in patients with AIDS. However, little is known about the clinical features of ADC in China. We prospectively studied six patients with confirmed ADC out of a total of 36 AIDS patients treated from 1999 to 2003. All patients had short-term memory loss and poor concentration, with preserved alertness. Motor disability was identified in three patients. Of the six ADC patients, two had accompanying vacuolar myelopathy. All of the patients died, with a mean age at death of 41.8 years. The median survival of these ADC patients from the time of diagnosis was 4.7 months. In this context, we suggest that early diagnosis and highly active antiretroviral therapy treatment is an urgent priority in developing countries.