Neuropsychological test performance in patients co-infected with hepatitis C virus and HIV.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of co-infection on neuropsychological performance in relatively healthy hepatitis C virus (HCV)-alone patients when compared with HCV/HIV-co-infected patients.


METHODS
To test whether the burden of co-infection with HCV and HIV on the central nervous system results in increased cognitive deficits, we tested 47 HCV-alone and 29 HCV/HIV-co-infected patients on a neuropsychological screening battery of tests of attention, concentration and psychomotor speed.


METHODS
The neuropsychological test performance of HCV-alone and HCV/HIV-co-infected patients was compared with normative samples. The test performance between HCV-alone and HCV/HIV-co-infected patients was also assessed. Patients with chronic liver disease were divided on the basis of disease severity as determined by fibrosis stage, according to the METAVIR system. Neuropsychological test performance was correlated with fibrosis stage.


RESULTS
As previously reported, HCV patients independent of co-infection status demonstrated deficits on neuropsychological measures of attention, concentration and psychomotor speed. No significant differences were found between patients with HCV-alone and HCV/HIV-co-infected patients on the neuropsychological measures. There was a relationship between neuropsychological test performance and fibrosis stage.


CONCLUSIONS
Relatively healthy patients with HCV (either alone or when co-infected with HIV) may have deficits in the domains of attention, concentration and psychomotor speed. In this study no significant differences were found between patients with HCV alone and HCV/HIV-co-infected patients on neuropsychological measures, but as previously demonstrated, greater fibrosis was associated with poorer performance.
Perry
William
W
Hepatology Neurobehavioral Research Program, University of California, San Diego, CA 92103-8218, USA. wperry@ucsd.edu
Carlson
Meghan D
MD
Barakat
Fatma
F
Hilsabeck
Robin C
RC
Schiehser
Dawn M
DM
Mathews
Christopher
C
Hassanein
Tarek I
TI
D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012720:Severity of Illness Index