Neurological Declines By HIV-Positive People

Canadian researchers from McGill University conducted a study on nearly 200 HIV-positive adult people with controlled viral load to find out all the risk factors of neurocognitive declines. People were monitored for three years to find out how social, demographic, biological factors may influence further development of neurocognitive diseases. There were found four risk factors causing neurocognitive declines and they are quite important for future illness prediction. For example, HIV-positive status diagnosed for more than 15 years, increased Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein level are some of these significant factors. CD4 average rate was bigger than 500 cells/mm3, the majority of participants were taking antiretroviral drugs. Over the three years of the study 12 percent of observed people showed the evidence of neurocognitive decline at least at one assessment.

“Providing patients with their individualized risk of cognitive decline may increase their motivation for behavioral changes and adherence to treatment. The case will become more compelling as the findings are replicated in other samples, and the link between the neurocognitive outcome we studied and real life function is established.” - conclude the authors of the study. They have also noted that factors like food and diets, physical activity, healthy of unhealthy lifestyle, smoking, drinking alcohol are significant for immune system and for one’s health, so that positive factors may influence well on one’s cognitive function. All the researches and studies on the topic of how HIV-infection correlates with neurological declines remain actual.

All the results of the study were published in the journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.