Infrequent neuropsychological impairment in asymptomatic persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus

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Abstract
Previous investigators have reported subtle cognitive impairments in up to 44% of persons with asymptomatic HIV infection (AHIV+). The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of cognitive impairment in groups of AHIV+ persons who had been stratified according to T-helpercell percentages (Th%). Neuropsychological tests were administered to 53 AHIV+ persons who were stratified into three groups; (1) Th% < 20 (n = 17); (2) Th% = 20—29 (n = 22); (3) Th% > 30 (n = 14). Comparison of the groups' neuropsychological scores with normative data showed that all group means were within normal ranges, although 17% of Group 1 subjects were impaired on two or more tests. Intergroup comparisons indicated that Group 1 had significantly lower vocabulary scores than did Groups 2 or 3 (p = .03). No other significant differences were noted. Our findings do not support reports of a substantial incidence of cognitive impairment in AHIV+ persons, although there may be a somewhat increased incidence of impairments in more significantly immunocompromised persons.