HIV-associated sensory neuropathies

Peripheral neuropathy has emerged as the most common neurological complication of HIV infection [1– 4]. There are several discrete types of HIV-associated neuropathy, which can be classified according to the timing of their appearance during HIV infection, their etiology and whether they are primarily axonal or demyelinating (Table 1). Some represent a consequence of HIV infection producing neuropathological damage [e.g., distal symmetrical polyneuropathy (DSP)], while others are related to opportunistic pathogens [e.g., cytomegalovirus (CMV) polyradiculitis]. An increasingly common group is that which occurs as a result of treatment toxicity [e.g., toxic neuropathy from antiretroviral drugs (TNA) and lactic acidosis syndrome].