Neurocognitive Impairment in ART-Experienced People Living with HIV: An Analysis of Clinical Risk Factors, Injection Drug Use, and the sCD163.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In people living with HIV (PLHIV), ongoing neuronal injury has shown a correlation with elevated levels of soluble markers of immune activation, such as sCD163. Additionally, various risk factors, such as injection drug use (IDU), can independently affect immune and cognitive functions, leading to neurocognitive impairment (NCI). However, the potential sCD163-IDU-NCI axis in ART-experienced PLHIV is not clear. This study aims to determine NCI prevalence and investigate the interplay between risk factors and sCD163 in Pakistani PLHIV.

Methods

For this cross-sectional study, 150 PLHIV and 30 HIV-negative people who inject drugs (PWID) were recruited using a convenience sampling strategy. NCI screening was performed using the International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS) t

SUBMITTER: Ahmed SZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12474017 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature