Etiology of HIV-Associated Dementia :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Etiology of HIV-Associated Dementia The etiologic agents of the neurological disease associated with HIV and AIDS are many. Opportunistic infections- cryptococcus, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalocomputer virus, are a few of the organic causes of neurologic disease in AIDS patients, alone will not be the main focus of this paper. The human immunodeficiency virus in itself is implicated in much of the neurological manifestations of the disease, and it is the effects of the battlefront of the virus within the central noisome system which is of interest to me in this paper. With the advent of more effective highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and thus increase life span of people with AIDS, neurological deflects are becoming a hot topic in AIDS research. In the early days of the epidemic, those infected with the virus could only hope to live for a minuscule time before developing the symptoms of full blown AIDS, and death ensued soon afterwards. The progress made in treatment i n the past both decades has prolonged the lives of people with AIDS, to the point where diagnosis is no longer a sign of imminent debilitation and death, but rather an acknowledgement of a possible long road ahead with the aid of drug cocktails. there is also a strong possibility that the HIV infected somebody may develop HIV associated dementia after years of sustainment with the disease (1). HIV associated dementia (HAD) is comprised of a spectrum of conditions from the mild HIV-1 motor cognitive-motor disorder to severe and debilitating AIDS dementia complex. Symptoms begin with motor deceleration (2), and may progress to severe loss of cognitive function, loss of vesica and bowel control, and paraparesis . A classification system has been formulated for HIV associated dementia Stage 0 Normal Stage 0.5 Subclinical or doubtful Minimal or equivocal symptoms. around the bend (soft) neurological signs. No check of work or activities of daily living (ADL). Stage 1 Mild Unequ ivocal intellectual or motor impairment. Able to do only but the most demanding work or ADL. Stage 2 incorporate Cannot work or perform demanding ADL. Capable of self-care. Ambulatory, but may choose a single prop. Stage 3 Severe Major intellectual disability, or Cannot walk unassisted. Stage 4 End-Stage Nearly vegetative. 3. Disease may result from the direct presence of the virus in the central nervous system, toxins released from the virus, the bodys immunological responses, or any number of other factors. Studies have erect that non physiological levels of cytokines in the brain may have an effect of enhancing reverberation of HIV 3.