Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

DG DISPATCH - APA MEETING: HIV Infection Associated With Psychiatric Symptoms By John L. Moore Special to DG News WASHINGTON, DC -- May 27, 1999 -- HIV infected patients require psychiatric care in order to treat the associated symptoms of depression and dementia, said Dr. Constantine Lyketsos, M.D., of Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Lyketsos presented his review of the psychiatric effects of HIV infection last week at the American Psychiatric Association meeting in Washington, DC. Early during the infection, patients demonstrate cognitive symptomatology, whereas dementia occurs later in the course of the disease, he explained. Neurological manifestations of HIV infection progress through the stages of initial neuropsychiatric impairment followed by minor motor disorders and, in four to seven percent of the patients, dementia. These neuropsychiatric changes are associated with increased viral load in the cerebrospinal fluid and are paralleled by progression from CDC stage A to CDC stage C. Dr. Lyketsos said the most important long-term objective that should be set for these patients is compliance with antiretroviral therapy of at least 90 percent. The elevated rate of depression in early HIV infection is a reflection of the accumulation of social stressors in the population at risk as well as the biological effects of HIV on the brain, he added. The increase in both moderate and severe depression coincides with the conversion from HIV seropositivity to AIDS. Mania is diagnosed in approximately four to eight percent of patients with HIV, which is directly associated with the effects of HIV on the brain, Dr. Lyketsos said. Standard treatment of mania in the HIV infected population is recommended in the early stages of the infection, he explained. Neuroleptics are preferred during the later stages because of potential toxic effects and drug interactions associated with carbamazepine and divalproex. Lithium carbonate therapy is contraindicated. Dr. Glenn Treisman, of Johns Hopkins University said that those contracting HIV in recent years generally have numerous psychiatric comorbidities and require psychiatric attention at the primary care level. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version