Efavirenz May Compromise Neurocognition in the Long Term

In a cohort of asymptomatic HIV-positive patients, use of efavirenz was associated with poor performance on standard neurocognitive testing.

The incidence of HIV-associated dementia has waned since the introduction of potent antiretroviral therapy (ART), but milder neurocognitive disorders remain common among HIV-infected patients. Researchers sought to determine the frequency of such disorders in a random population of asymptomatic HIV-infected outpatients attending a single clinic in Rome. Active drug users were excluded.

Most of the 146 study participants had been taking combination ART for almost a decade and had never had an AIDS-associated illness; 75% had undetectable plasma viral loads. Median CD4 count was 529 cells/mm³, and median nadir CD4 count was 172 cells/mm³.

Overall performance on a battery of standard neuropsychologic tests was significantly worse among study par…

Reviewing Author

Abigail Zuger, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Abigail Zuger, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Efavirenz May Compromise Neurocognition in the Long Term

Topics

Reviewing Author