NEUROCOGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS IN HIV INFECTION

Neuropsychological impairments punctuate the early neurological involvement among HIV-1 infected patients. Three groups of patients, twenty in each were selected. The first group consisted of seronegative local controls, the second being a group of asymptomatic seropositive patients and the third a group of seropositive symptomatic individuals. All these three groups were tested using standard neuropsychological tests. Results indicate that a broad spectrum of impairments occur in the seropositive patients and that the impairments of various functions occur at different phases of the illness. The importance of these findings in prediction of early neurological disturbance is highlighted and their significance in the total management and rehabilitation is discussed.