New onset seizures in HIV-infected patients without intracranial mass lesions or meningitis--a clinical, radiological and SPECT scan study.

Fifteen HIV-infected patients who presented with new onset seizures (NOS) as the sole neurological manifestation, in whom no cause for the seizure was identifiable, were studied. The patients were mainly female with an average age of 31.3 years.

New-onset seizures associated with HIV infection.

The authors studied new-onset seizures in 60 heterosexual black South African HIV-infected patients who had not used IV drugs. An intracranial space-occupying lesion was identified in 53% of patients, meningitis in 22%, and no additional cause in 25%. Of the patients with an identifiable cause, 64% had probable tuberculosis (tuberculoma or tuberculous meningitis).

The clinical and genetic characteristics of spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA 7) in three Black South African families.

Objectives: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 is a rare autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cerebellar and retinal degeneration, described in various population groups in the literature. This is the first description from South Africa. The objective was to document the clinical and genetic characteristics of our patients and to determine concordance with other described cases.