Neurocognitive decline in PLHIV is associated with comorbidities, not age.

[Jim Allen]

Interesting read and findings. Manage your comorbidities if you can people.

In Brief:

A comprehensive assessments over 12 years of 402 people with HIV in the CNS HIV ART Effects Research (CHARTER) programme, who at follow-up were composed of younger (<60 years) and older (≥60 years) subgroups.

Over the 12 years, ART use and viral suppression increased in both subgroups as did systemic and psychiatric comorbidities; participants in both subgroups also evidenced neurocognitive decline beyond what is expected in typical ageing. Contrary to expectations, all these adverse effects were comparable in the younger and older CHARTER subgroups, and unrelated to chronological age.

Neurocognitive decline was unrelated to HIV disease or treatment characteristics but was significantly predicted by the presence of comorbid conditions, specifically diabetes, hypertension, chronic pulmonary disease, frailty, neuropathic pain, depression and lifetime history of cannabis use disorder. These results are not consistent with premature or accelerated neurocognitive ageing due to HIV itself but suggest important indirect effects of multiple, potentially treatable comorbidities that are more common among people with HIV than in the general population.

Good medical management of HIV disease did not prevent these adverse outcomes, and increased attention to a range of comorbid conditions in people with HIV may be warranted in their care.

In Full:
Robert K Heaton, Ronald J Ellis, Bin Tang, Christina M Marra, Leah H Rubin, David B Clifford, J Allen McCutchan, Benjamin B Gelman, Susan Morgello, Donald R Franklin, Scott L Letendre, Twelve-year neurocognitive decline in HIV is associated with comorbidities, not age: a CHARTER study, Brain, 2022;, awac465,
 https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awac465

Aidsmap article: https://www.aidsmap.com/news/feb-2023/decline-brain-function-linked-other-medical-conditions-rather-ageing-hiv

[leatherman]

lifetime history of cannabis use disorder

Let's see, 61-25=36 yrs. I'm doomed! LOL Of course, that's the same amount of years that I drank 2-liters of Coke everyday, so who knows what's going to scramble my brains or take me out.

cannabis use disorder

is this even a real thing. I mean I googled and read up; but I swear I've never met anyone who meets these criteria.

[zach]

My name is Zach, and I am CUD+