HIV/HCV Co-Infection—A Dual Neurocognitive Problem

Abstract

Presence of the hepatitis C virus in HIV infected patients has an additional neurotoxic influence on the Central Nervous System. It has been described that HCV co-infection leads to neuropsychological impairment whose severity is greater than in mono-HIV infected subjects. In the present study we assessed the neuropsychological status of 46 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals from the Warsaw Hospital for Infectious Diseases. For the purpose of cognitive assessment, neuropsychological tests measuring global cognitive functions, attention and perception, verbal memory, as well as non-verbal aspects of executive functions, e.g. visual monitoring and planning, were assessed. In 60% of the investigated patients, who were co-infected with the hepatitis C virus, the overall cognitive outcome observed was worse than in mono-HIV infected subjects. The following factors were taken into account: ART therapy's influence on cognitive functions using the CPE rank (CNS Penetration Efficacy, 2010), route of HIV transmission, conditions of human existence and age of investigated patients. The present work should be treated as a preliminary research and interpreted in the context of several limitations described in the text.