Age is a key risk factor for cognitive decline, and early detection through routine testing is crucial for timely intervention to prevent further deterioration. Moreover, recent research has found people with HIV welcome routine screening for cognitive issues. There is ongoing debate regarding the most appropriate screening tools with none showing consistent strong psychometric properties … Read more
Info for health professionals
The mechanisms underlying cognitive impairments seen in people with HIV likely involve a combination of complex immunopathological processes controlled by HIV factors, the direct effects of cART and other host factors (e.g. age, lifestyle, comorbidities, polypharmacy). Given this complexity a holistic, multifaceted approach to assessing the primary causes and contributing factors of an individuals cognitive … Read more
Different HIV services have different resources available to them. In this section we depict three types of assessment pathway clinicians can follow if a patient has suspected cognitive issues. Pathway A: – Services which have a combined HIV-Memory/neurology clinic Pathway B: – Services with no combined HIV-Memory/neurology – Services with access to neuropsychological services Pathway … Read more
Appropriate management of patients with a cognitive impairment needs to be holistic and reflect the underlying cause/s of impairment. Below we detail individual factors which may cause cognitive issues in people with HIV and how each should be managed. Please refer to our article ‘How to assess patients with suspected cognitive impairment’ for more information … Read more