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Toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS
Luft BJ, Remington JS.. Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 1992-08-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) is common in patients with advanced disease due to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Symptoms range from lethargy and apathy to coma, incoordination and ataxia to hemiparesis, loss of memory to severe dementia, and focal to major motor seizures. Involvement may be closely associated with HIV infection per se, as in the AIDS dementia complex, but is frequently caused by opportunistic pathogens such as Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptococcus neoformans or malignancies such as primary lymphoma of the CNS. The clinical presentations of attendant and direct CNS involvement are remarkably non-specific and overlapping, yet a correct diagnosis is critical to successful intervention. Toxoplasmic encephalitis is one of the most common and most treatable causes of AIDS-associated pathology of the CNS. A great deal has been learned in the last 10 years about its unique presentation in the HIV-infected patient with advanced disease. Drs. Benjamin J. Luft of the State University of New York at Stony Brook and Jack S. Remington of the Stanford University School of Medicine and Palo Alto Medical Foundation's Research Institute have studied T. gondii for many years and are two of the leading experts in the field. This commentary comprises an update of their initial review (J Infect Dis 1988;157:1-6) and a presentation of the current approaches to diagnosing and managing toxoplasmic encephalitis in HIV-infected patients.
Key findings
- Involvement may be closely associated with HIV infection per se, as in the AIDS dementia complex, but is frequently caused by opportunistic pathogens such as Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptococcus neoformans or malignancies such as primary lymphoma of the CNS.
Why it matters
This commentary discusses toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS, which can cause dementia-like symptoms, but it is not about Alzheimer's disease. It does not address Alzheimer's disease treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 52/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Clinical Infectious Diseases: journal h-index 482 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1992 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,291 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 35.9 citations a year over 36 year(s) since 1992 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 28.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 71 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Jack S. Remington: h-index 100 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Stanford University: institution h-index 2,684 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 1520757) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 52 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Luft, B. J., & Remington, J. S. (1992). Toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS. Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. https://doi.org/10.1093/clinids/15.2.211
Vancouver
Luft BJ, Remington JS. Toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS. Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. 1992. doi:10.1093/clinids/15.2.211. PMID: 1520757.
BibTeX
@article{luft1992-1520757,
author = {Luft, B. J. and Remington, J. S.},
title = {{Toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS}},
journal = {Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America},
year = {1992},
doi = {10.1093/clinids/15.2.211},
pmid = {1520757},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/clinids/15.2.211}
}