LONGITUDINAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF HIV-INFECTED INTRAVENOUS-DRUG-USERS

The present study aimed to describe the cognitive status of a group of HIV-positive asymptomatic intravenous drug users (IVDU) and changes w hich occurred over a 12-month follow-up period. Forty-two HIV positive IVDU were selected and matched for age, sex, educational level and pa ttern of drug abuse with 39 seronegative IVDU controls. Baseline and f ollow-up evaluation included neuropsychological tests exploring attent ion, language, memory, logic and visuomotor abilities, biological mark ers and clinical parameters. About one-third of both seropositive and seronegative subjects showed at baseline slight cognitive deficits, wh ich did not change during the follow-up period.