Decline In Brain Function Is Linked To Other Medical Conditions Rather Than Ageing With HIV

A recent NAM article reported that the decrease in brain function seen in a 12-year study of people with HIV was worse than would be expected for typical ageing. This decrease was linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic lung disease, depression, nerve pain and cannabis use. HIV itself did not appear to worsen brain function, nor was there a significant difference in brain function decline between different age groups.

Overall, 1597 people living with HIV were interviewed for this prospective study at six different US medical centres, between 2003-2007. Those with active opportunistic infections, major substance use problems or severe mental health issues were excluded, as this would have prevented them from undergoing a full day assessment. An average of 12.4 years later, 402 people were interviewed again to compare their brain function, medical conditions and medications after this time. Seven different types of tasks controlled by the brain such as memory and language, were tested in a 2-3 hour long interview to measure brain function. Bloods tests, medical examination, urine samples and spinal fluid samples were also completed at both appointments. Frailty assessments were only conducted at the second visit.

You can read the full article here.