Sleep Disturbances in HIV-Seropositive Patients

To the Editor.— Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects the central nervous system and is associated with neurological and psychiatric disease. 1,2 Neuropsychological disorders may appear as the primary or only manifestation of HIV infection. 3 Sleep/wake disturbances have been reported among HIV-seropositive individuals. To provide a better understanding of the etiology of sleep complaints, a pilot study that evaluated sleep variables was performed. Study.— Eight asymptomatic HIV-seropositive patients (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot) (group A) and four HIV-seronegative and culture-negative patients (group B) were included. Patients with neuropsychiatric diseases were excluded. All were homosexual and did not differ in life-styles. None were sleep-deprived shift workers and none were taking medications known to affect sleep. None abused intravenous drugs or alcohol and none used sedatives or narcotics. An interview, written questionnaires, and a standardized polysomnogram (sleep study) were administered to provide objective measurements of sleep. A two-sample t test was