White matter hyperintensities in relation to cognition in HIV-infected men with sustained suppressed viral load on combination antiretroviral therapy

Abstract

WMH are more extensive and associated with cognitive deficits in middle-aged, aviremic cART-treated HIV-infected men. The extent of WMH load was associated with both cardiovascular risk factors and past immune deficiency. As cognitive impairment in these same patients is also associated with these risk factors, this may suggest that in the setting of HIV, WMH, and cognitive deficits share a common cause. This supports the importance of optimizing cardiovascular risk management, and early, effective treatment of HIV infection.