Headache in ambulatory HIV-1-infected men enrolled in a longitudinal study

Objective: To report headache (HA) data collected from subjects in a longitudinal study of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 and the central nervous system (CNS). Design/methods: Baseline data from 229 ambulatory HIV-seropositive (HIVS) and 53 seronegative control subjects were analyzed. Subjects were classified by the presence or absence of HIV-1-associated HAs and HIV-l-associated systemic and neurologic disease. Subjects were followed longitudinally for up to 5 years. Results: In the cross-sectional analysis, significant associations were observed between HIV-1-associated HAs and (1) anxiety and depression, and (2) a history of drug use, psychiatric disease, and non-HIV-l neurologic disease. No significant differences in laboratory values were found between subjects with HIV-1-associated HA compared with those without HA. When HIVS subjects were followed longitudinally, onset of new HIV-l-associated systemic or neurologic disease over 1 year was not predicted by the presence of an HIV-1-associated HA at baseline. Conclusion: Headaches are common in HIV+ persons at all stages of disease. Presence of HIV-l-associated HAs at baseline were not associated with neurologic disease progression over 1 year of follow-up in our sample.