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Results of a study by researchers
from the US Department of Veterans Affairs indicate that HIV and hepatitis C
co-infection increased the risk of cognitive impairment. The researchers
compared cognitive function of 19 men co-infected with hepatitis C and HIV, 17
men infected with hepatitis C alone (mono-infection), 14 men with HIV mono-infection,
and a control group of 28 healthy men. All participants were 45-65 years old,
and those with HIV were taking antiretroviral therapy and had an undetectable
viral load. None of the participants had liver cirrhosis or clinical
depression, and none were drug or alcohol abusers. The study evaluated
participants for symptoms of depression, evaluated cognitive function in seven
domains, and calculated an overall global deficit score.
Participants with co-infection had
more symptoms of depression than those with hepatitis C mono-infection and the
control group. Researchers found a mild but significant impairment in cognition
among the co-infected individuals. Approximately 65 percent of co-infected
participants were classified as impaired compared to 42 percent with hepatitis
C mono-infection, 29 percent with HIV mono-infection, and 18 percent of
controls. The individuals with co-infection performed poorly on attention,
working memory, executive function, verbal learning and memory, and visual
learning and memory tests. Their scores were significantly lower than those of
controls or mono-infected participants. In the hepatitis C mono-infected
participants, a higher hepatitis C viral load was negatively associated with
attention, executive function, and speed of information processing. The
researchers concluded that the effect of HIV and HCV co-infection may result in
neuropsychological deficits in co-infected individuals and that high viral load
in HCV mono-infection may impact cognition.
The study, “Differential Cognitive
Impairment in HCV Co-infected Men with Controlled HIV Compared to HCV
Mono-infection," was published ahead of print in the Journal of Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome, (DOI: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e31827b61f1, 2012).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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