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Oct 4, 2013Article Details
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Main Article Content
HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders: Antiretroviral regimen, central nervous system penetration effectiveness, and cognitive outcomes
Abstract
Objective. This study compared cognitive outcomes in clade C-infected HIV patients in South Africa treated for 1 year with ART regimens with differing CPE scores.
Methods. We assessed 111 HIV-positive patients with varying levels of cognitive function at baseline (pre-ART) and then a year later. A neuropsychological battery was administered at both visits to derive global deficit scores. ART regimen data were collected at the follow-up visit. Some participants remained ART-naïve during this period, thus providing a non-treatment control group.
Results. Significantly more ART recipients maintained or improved cognitive function compared with patients not on ART (p=0.017). There was no significant difference in cognitive outcomes between higher and lower CPE regimen groups (p=0.473).
Conclusions. ART preserves or improves cognition in HIV-infected patients after 1 year, irrespective of the regimen’s CPE. South Africa’s current low CPE-scored first-line regimen performed as well as higher CPE-scored regimens. These findings are reassuring for South Africa, but larger, longer-term studies would be more definitive.
