Dementia Due to HIV Infection
Medical Author:
Florian P Thomas, MD, MA, PhD
Medical Editor:
Nestor Galvez-Jimenez, MD
Medical Editor:
Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD
Medical Editor:
Helmi L Lutsep, MD
Dementia Due to HIV Infection OverviewDecline in mental processes is a common complication of HIV infection (and many other conditions).
AIDS dementia complex typically occurs as CD4+ count falls to less than 200 cells/microliter. It may be the first sign of AIDS. With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the frequency of ADC has declined from 30-60% of people infected with HIV to less than 20%. HAART may not only prevent or delay the onset of AIDS dementia complex in people with HIV infection, it can also improve mental function in people who already have ADC.
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Dementia Due to HIV Infection
Dementia Overview
Dementia is a decline of reasoning, memory, and other mental abilities (the cognitive functions). This decline eventually impairs the ability to carry out everyday activities such as driving; household chores; and even personal care such as bathing, dressing, and feeding (often called activities of daily living, or ADLs).
- Dementia is most common in elderly people; it used to be called senility and was considered a normal part of aging.
- We now know that dementia is not a normal part of
aging but is caused by a number of underlying medical conditions that can
occur in both elderly and younger persons.
- In some cases, dementia can be reversed with proper medical treatment. In others, it is permanent and usually gets worse over time.
About 4-5 million people in the United States have some degree of dementia, and that number will increase over the next few decades with the aging of ...
Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape
Dementia Due to HIV Disease »
Physicians frequently encounter neurologic and psychiatric complications in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
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