Perfil neuropsicológico de personas adultas con VIH/SIDA

Abstract

Neurological deficit, associated with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), specifically alterations in cognitive function, have been present since the beginning of its propagation and have been one of the main clinical features that patients display, during the different stages of the infection. Nonetheless, the advances of antiretroviral therapy; has largely increased the life span and expectancy among patients with HIV, and with it, a larger amount of patients that come to present cognitive impairment. The objective of the present study is to describe the neuropsychological profile of patients with HIV, and establish if there are relationships between deteriorated functions time of diagnosis and antiretroviral therapy. With this purpose, a descriptive exploratory study was applied, to measure the characteristics in the neuropsychological profile of a 24 patient group from the currently undergoing program “B24” in Hospital Universitario Mayor and Hospital Universitario Barrios Unidos, both part of the Méderi Hospital network. A protocol of neuropsychological tests was established and applied to the patients. The tests included were: Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), WAIS-III (sub-tests: digit span, letter -number, arithmetic and similarities), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), WMS-III (Weschler Memory Scale) sub tests (Logical Memory I and II andSpatial span), TMT A y B, Isaac’s Test Set, Complex Rey Figure and Stroop Test. Within the results it was found that the mean age was 50 years old. The sample included a total of 19 men and 5 women. The functions that were deteriorated in a larger amount of patients were: sustained and alternant attention, declarative memory, executive functions (specifically inhibitory control) and speed processing. Patients also presented with a range of mild cognitive impairment (GDS 3). It was concluded that the deterioration profile has cortical and subcortical characteristics and that it is necessary to widen the sample, in order to acquire more precise results regarding the differences that arise from different times of diagnosis and antiretroviral therapy.