The white matter changes in microencephalic HIV infected infants. A preliminary report.

The brains of six infants 14-34 months of age and with microencephaly (brain weight deficit 20-55.5%) were chosen from a group of cases vertically infected with HIV. The center of our investigations was focused on the white matter changes of which two types were observed in the examined brains. Within the periventricular white matter of four cases evident lesions consisting of myelin pallor and concomitant gliosis were recognized as HIV-1 infection related leukoencephalopathy. In all those cases myelination delay was also noted. In one case HIV encephalitis was diagnosed. Our observations suggest that in the majority of HIV infected infants changes resulting in the brain "too small for age" corelate with myelination delay coexisting with early-onset leukoencephalopathy. Because of the small number of cases in this study the results should be considered preliminary, and will require further investigations.