HAND? For Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) associated neurocognitive disorder (or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) associated with a neurocognitive disorder, in French).
The 71-year-old patient was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and then his doctors at theGeorgetown University (United States) realized after analyzes that he was also suffering from HIV.
Doctors thought HIV and Alzheimer’s were incompatible
Until now, healthcare professionals never imagined they would meet an HIV survivor who could live long enough to contract a Alzheimer’s disease. But as treatments evolve, patients see their life expectancy increase.
Also, doctors believed that HIV-positive people were at little risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease since the inflammation in the brain caused by HIV is thought to prevent the formation ofamyloid clusters.
For neurologists, the cause of dementia in this patient remains unclear, due to the antiretroviral treatments he is taking. “This patient may be a sentinel case that refutes our assumptions about dementia in HIV-positive people,” says neurologist R. Scott Turner.
The dual condition HIV and Alzheimer misdiagnosed
The researchers tried to understand how the two diseases could coexist and came up with several hypotheses. They suggest that some older HIV-positive patients with dementia could have been misdiagnosed with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.
Also, they evoke a type of dementia mixed, associating HIV infection and amyloid deposition leading to progressive dementia.
50,000 HIV-positive people over 65 in the United States
The dual condition could develop in 30-50% of long-term HIV-positive people.
Worldwide, more than 37 million people are living with HIV. And in the United States, more than 50,000 people HIV-positive are aged 65 and over. A number that should double in less than 10 years.
This first case of HAND should prompt scientists to conduct further studies.
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– Alzheimer’s disease: why patients do not recognize their loved ones
