HIV infection and stroke in the Young in Abuja, Nigeria: a case series

Abstract

Stroke is a major cause of disability and mortality among the Nigerian general population and thought to be commoner after the fifth decade of life and usually driven by conventional risk factors which are mainly cardio metabolic. However, with the youthful population in a city such as Abuja, stroke could be a mode of presentation of HIV in young people who are also more sexually active. Methods. This is a case series, reporting four cases of HIV positive young Nigerians with stroke. Patients´ data were retrieved from ward admissions records. The patients here had their socio-demographic data taken. They had presented with documented varied clinical features including those suggestive of stroke, after which they had HIV screening done which returned positive. Results. One thousand four hundred and eighty-seven (1487) patients, were admitted in the medical ward, over a three-year period. Female to male ratio of 1:1 in the HIV-positive group, with an age range of 32 to 42 years and an average age of 37.5 years. Stroke constituted 5.7% of all admissions, with stroke in the young accounting for 1.2%. Of all stroke cases, stroke in the young constituted 21.43%, with those who were HIV positive accounting for 4.8%. Young people with stroke should be offered an HIV screening test.