EFFECTS OF HIV SEROPOSITIVITY AND DRUG-ABUSE ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION

Fifty-eight HIV-positive drug abusers and 22 HIV-positive nondrug abus ers at stages II-III and IV of the Centers for Disease Control classif ication were evaluated neuropsychologically. The study confirmed previ ous findings that drug abuse has a negative influence on cognitive fun ction. It also emerges that serepositivity affects cognitive function, although the poor performance of group II-III patients compared to gr oup IV may be explained by factors related to seropositivity (anxiety and panic) rather than the disease itself. It is concluded that diseas e-related factors probably determine cognitive performance in the earl ier stages of HIV infection.