Clinical Phenotyping and Genotyping of HIV-Associated Sensory Neuropathy: The HIV-POGO Study

HIV associated sensory neuropathy (HIV-SN) is a frequent complication of HIV infection, affecting between 20 and 57% of infected individuals. The advent of better antiretroviral treatment for HIV has meant that mortality from HIV has decreased dramatically in the UK. This means however, that chronic, age-related conditions associated with HIV, such as HIV-SN and cognitive impairment, are increasing in prevalence and becoming a significant disease burden.

The classification, diagnosis and treatment of HIV-SN remains poor. Currently, little is known about the genetic basis of the disorder and what risk factors mean that some patients with HIV develop neuropathy and pain, whilst others do not. It is hoped that by further characterising or 'phenotyping' the disorder, it will be easier to identify which patients are at risk of developing neuropathy and chronic pain. It may also mean that treatment can be more individualised as currently patients often undergo a frustrating 'trial and error' protocol of treatment, as clinicians can not yet predict who will respond to which treatment.

It has also been suggested that there is a link between HIV-SN and HIV associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND), which is another common, age-related complication of HIV infection. It may be that the existence of one pathology could predict the development of the other, or that the presence of HAND may impair the diagnosis or treatment of chronic pain associated with HIV-SN.