ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY IN TREATMENT NAÏVE HIV INDIVIDUALS AND ITS CORRELATION WITH CD4 COUNT

There are many neurological complications of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). One of the most common neurological manifestations is PN (peripheral neuropathy).With the advent of ART (Anti-retroviral therapy) the life span of the HIV patients is increasing,at the same time with the increasing duration of the disease,the prevalence of PN is also increasing. It could be due to various causes such as secondary to malnutrition, increasing age, associated comorbidities,opportunistic infections and their therapy,ART and HIV itself.However,HIV as an independent factor of peripheral neuropathy is the least studied area.Our study was undertaken to study the electrophysiological types of PN in treatment naïve HIV individuals and its correlation with CD4 count. Thus, our study helps to increase the existing knowledge on the effects of HIV virus on the nervous system in patients with low CD4 counts.