Article Sidebar
Published:
Feb 7, 2024Keywords:
Article Details
http://www.sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/pages/view/policies#part_4
Copyright
The author(s) retain copyright on work published by AOSIS unless specified otherwise.
Licensing and publishing rights
Author(s) of work published by AOSIS are required to grant AOSIS the unlimited rights to publish the definitive work in any format, language and medium, for any lawful purpose.
AOSIS requires journal authors to publish their work in open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
Read more here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
The authors retain the non-exclusive right to do anything they wish with the published article(s), provided attribution is given to the applicable journal with details of the original publication, as set out in the official citation of the article published in the journal. The retained right specifically includes the right to post the article on the authors’ or their institution’s websites or in institutional repositories.
Previously published work may have been published under a different licence. We advise the community that if they would like to reuse the work to consult the applicable licence at article level.
Main Article Content
Neurocognitive improvement in HIV-positive patients treated with dolutegravir-based regimens
Janine Rodrigues
Karishma Lowton
Abstract
Background: Neurocognitive disorders due to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remain highly prevalent, specifically mild forms despite effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). Dolutegravir-based regimens are the first line of treatment for adult HIV-positive patients. Controversies exist regarding the neurocognitive effects of dolutegravir. Evidence regarding the neurocognitive effects of dolutegravir is important, in support of its use in patients with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND).
Aim: This study aimed to describe the change in cognitive function using the International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS) and Brief Neuropsychological Cognitive Examination (BNCE) in HIV positive, treatment naïve patients before and 3 months after initiation of ART using a dolutegravir-based regimen.
Setting: The HIV initiation clinic of Hillbrow Community Health Centre in Johannesburg.
Methods: This prospective, quantitative cohort study assessed adult HIV-positive patients who were ART naïve being initiated on a dolutegravir-based regimen, using the BNCE and IHDS at baseline and after 3 months of treatment.
Results: Neurocognitive test results of 26 participants showed significant improvements for IHDS (Z = 1.84, p = 0.033) and time to complete BNCE (Z = 2.47, p = 0.007). BNCE total results showed improvements that were not significant (Z = 1.44, p = 0.075); however, Part 2 of the BNCE reflecting that of executive function showed significant improvements (Z = 66.5, p = 0.043).
Conclusion: The trend of neurocognitive function is towards improvement in HIV-positive treatment naïve patients who receive 3 months of dolutegravir-based ART.
Contribution: The findings support the use of dolutegravir-based regimens in the treatment of patients with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.
