ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the natural story of HIV-associated affective and cognitive disorders and the relationship with clinical, pharmacological, immunological and behavioural factors. METHOD: A total of 395 HIV-positive patients, naive to Highly Active Antirectroviral therapy (HAART), with no severe psychiatric disorders have been enrolled in the Neuro-ICONA Study. All participants were administered a comprehensive data collection instrument including an addiction behaviour survey, a medical problem list, a psychiatric assessment, a validated neuropsychological test battery. RESULTS: The global prevalence of cognitive impairment and of prominent depressive symptomatology were 17.9 and 15.5%, respectively. A significant difference in the prevalence of prominent depressive symptomatology was observed between patients in HAART and those not taking HAART(14.1 vs. 23.8%; P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: Depressive and cognitive disorders affect a substantial proportion of HIV-seropositive subjects. The prevalence of prominent depressive symptomatology appears to significantly vary in relationship to the therapeutic protocol.
Subject(s)
Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active , Cognition Disorders/etiology , HIV Infections/psychology , Mood Disorders/etiology , Adult , Cognition Disorders/psychology , Depression , Female , HIV Infections/drug therapy , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Mood Disorders/psychology , PrevalenceABSTRACT
The occurrence of neuropsychological impairment in asymptomatic, HIV-positive individuals is controversial. In the present study we compared the performance of three groups of chronic intravenous drug abusers (HIV negative, asymptomatic HIV positive, AIDS) on a battery of neuropsychological tests. While the AIDS group was significantly impaired, no difference was found between HIV negative and HIV positive asymptomatic subjects on any measure. This finding is in agreement with the results of studies of homosexual and bisexual subjects, indicating that the presence of HIV infection in the asymptomatic stage does not carry an added risk of cognitive impairment in drug addicts.
Subject(s)
HIV Infections/psychology , Substance-Related Disorders/psychology , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/physiopathology , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/psychology , Adult , HIV Infections/etiology , HIV Infections/physiopathology , HIV Seropositivity/physiopathology , HIV Seropositivity/psychology , Humans , Neuropsychological TestsABSTRACT
We report the case of a 69 year old man who presented hemiplegia with an ascending spread suspected to be a primary form of Mills syndrome. The patient underwent MRI, which showed multiple lacunar infarcts of the periventricular and subcortical white matter. We recommend that patients with a suspected primary form of Mills syndrome should be studied with MRI.
