South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
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Neurological disease heralds the development of AIDS in 10-20% of HIV-seropositive individuals. In over half of these cases the presentation will be that of an intracranial mass lesion (IML). In developed countries toxoplasmosis is the most frequent cause of IML in a positive patient, followed by primary central nervous system lymphoma. Less common causes include tuberculomas, cryptococcomas, abscesses and gummas. As a result of these observations, the algorithm adopted in developed countries calls for initial empirical treatment for toxoplasmosis. Biopsy of the IML is only considered if there is no response to treatment after 10-14 days. Whether such an algorithm would be applicable to the local population is unknown. ⋯ This study demonstrated that the spectrum of IML seen locally was similar to that in developed countries. The management protocol used elsewhere was therefore adopted for local patients.