%0 Journal Article %A Angeliki Zarkali %A Nikos Gorgoraptis %A Robert Miller %A Laurence John %A Ashirwad Merve %A Stefanie Thust %A Rolf Jager %A Dimitri Kullmann %A Orlando Swayne %T CD8+ encephalitis: a severe but treatable HIV-related acute encephalopathy %D 2016 %R 10.1136/practneurol-2016-001483 %J Practical Neurology %P practneurol-2016-001483 %X Rapidly progressive encephalopathy in an HIV-positive patient presents a major diagnostic and management challenge. CD8+ encephalitis is a severe but treatable form of HIV-related acute encephalopathy, characterised by diffuse perivascular and intraparenchymal CD8+ lymphocytic infiltration. It can occur in patients who are apparently stable on antiretroviral treatment and probably results from viral escape into the central nervous system. Treatment, including high-dose corticosteroids, can give an excellent neurological outcome, even in people with severe encephalopathy and a very poor initial neurological status. We report a woman with CD8+ encephalitis, with a normal CD4 count and undetectable serum viral load, who made a good recovery despite the severity of her presentation. %U https://pn.bmj.com/content/practneurol/early/2016/11/01/practneurol-2016-001483.full.pdf