HIV infection and multiple sclerosis: a case with unexpected “no evidence of disease activity” status

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system whose etiology remains unclear. It has been suggested that MS can be triggered by certain viruses; however, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with reduced incidence of MS. We present the case of a young patient diagnosed with active relapsing-remitting MS whose clinical course substantially improved following HIV infection and treatment. The patient achieved no evidence of disease activity status without any disease-modifying drugs. Both HIV-induced immunosuppression and antiretroviral therapy may have attenuated the clinical course in this patient.