Treatment of painful hiv-associated sensory neuropathy

We present a systematic of the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies published in the scientific literature concerning the pharmacological treatment and complementary therapies of the painful peripheral neuropathy associated with the human acquired immunodeficiency virus (HIV), between January, 1996 and octubre, 2015. The analysis comprises 20 studies selected from a total of 219 articles located. The 20 controlled studies selected included 2246 patients with HIV-associated distal sensory neuropathy (HIV-SN), characteristically painful, in the form of distal sensory polyneuropathy (DSP) or antiretroviral neuropathy (ATN). The results of this revision show the efficacy of 8% capsaicin, smoked cannabis and recombinant human neural growth factor (rhNGF) in pain management of DSP. Lamotrigine and Acetyl-L carnitine are promising medications in the ATN of HIV patients. Notwithstanding, a search for new therapeutic strategies for the management of DSP and ATN is still necessary.