HIV Dementia
What Is HIV Dementia?
HIV dementia is caused when psychological disorders display due to a physical condition, and it can actually occur alongside of many diseases and illnesses. It is irreversible, however, when in association with HIV, as it is the virus, and not a secondary infection, which causes HIV dementia. It is thought that viral proteins may carry through to specialized nerve cells during normal blood circulation. These same proteins may also infect inflammatory cells near the spinal cord and the base of the brain. Once these nerve and inflammatory cells are weakened, the HIV virus may induce them and begin damage within the brain. There is no cure for HIV dementia, though many therapies and medications are meant to make symptoms more livable while the disease takes its course.
The decline associated with this condition will begin as so many others do, with a decrease in productive thoughts and actions. As the speech and reasoning aspects begin to come under attack, the victim may become more forgetful and less present. Concentration and judgment fade in and out during the early stages of HIV dementia, and the patient may no longer be able to complete even the simplest or mundane tasks. Furthermore, just after this failed attempt at a project, they may surprise you, forget the entire event, and go about the task of their own free will. Coordination also becomes a more real issue, as poor balance and less motor skills begin to riddle the body. Personality changes are an inevitable conclusion to this debilitating disease, where temper, demeanor, and mood spikes will cause emotional discomfort for all involved with the victims care.
HIV dementia will usually be diagnosed only after the symptoms begin to interfere or endanger the everyday life of the patient. The battle against HIV itself is so energy and time consuming, not to mention the emotional toll that it takes on the body. Treating dementia under these already unstable conditions can be a difficult task, but new and promising breakthroughs have given hope to many potential HIV dementia sufferers.
HAART is the new super active and aggressive therapy available for the early onset of dementia in associated with AIDS. In fact, slight dementia symptoms can often lead to the diagnosis of the HIV virus, as it can begin to damage the nerve cells at a very early stage. The use of HAART in HIV patients has lowered the occurrence of dementia from an estimated 50-60% down to 20%. If you or a loved one feel that you may be suffering signs and symptoms of HIV dementia, you may want to review your concerns with your trusted physician. Early detection is the best weapon available to you.