Conference Interview #12 of 12
Treating older patients with HIV/AIDS: Assessing depression vs cognitive dysfunction
Sarah Anwar, MDLinx
American Psychiatric Association 2018 Annual Meeting
New York, New York, United States | May 05-09, 2018
“This is a very complex topic because those patients getting older and older may have psychotic problems but also problems from being older. That means that there is some kind of cognitive impairment, which is sometimes difficult to differentiate from depression,” he said.
Dementia, cognitive impairment, depression, and HIV infection can cause bothersome symptoms.
“In many cases, it could be the HIV infection itself, which induces changes in the brain which could be presented as depressive symptoms or as cognitive symptoms. The first would be to treat the HIV infection well, using antiretroviral treatment and [achieving] good control,” said Dr. Blanch.
Screening tools and brief questionnaires may be helpful in measuring cognitive impairment. HIV physicians must be familiar with these tools and use them effectively.
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