RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in HIV infection
JF BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP bcr0120125647
DO 10.1136/bcr.01.2012.5647
VO 2012
A1 Sam Nightingale
A1 Chris Wood
A1 Jonathan Ainsworth
YR 2012
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2012/bcr.01.2012.5647.abstract
AB Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is often associated with hypertension, however recent advances in the understanding of this condition have shown that endothelial dysfunction is responsible for much of the pathogenesis and the condition can occur in the absence of hypertension. This case describes a 32-year-old lady with untreated HIV infection who developed PRES at a normal blood pressure and without opportunistic infection or other conditions known to precipitate PRES. HIV, particularly when untreated, is associated with endothelial dysfunction and this may have been sufficient to cause PRES in this patient. To our knowledge this is the first case to describe PRES in HIV without uncontrolled hypertension, sepsis or other precipitating cause.