The first patient brought a long-lived HIV virus to Alzheimer's

Whether this will be a good news or sad news: the first case of Alzheimer's has been reported in people infected with HIV.

On the one hand, that's bad news for them. On the other hand emphasizes the fact that HIV carriers have survived long enough for this deadly virus , to the age at which they can develop Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's has never been previously reported in HIV-infected people. New research indicates that it may have been mistaken for a brain disorder, both of which cause dementia, but have different treatments. Now, doctors will have to be more careful in diagnosing neurosis in patients with HIV and dementia.

The research was published in Alzheimer's & Dementia magazine.

Today's HIV patients have lived long enough for Alzheimer's.

Previously, scientists believed that HIV had a mechanism to prevent the formation of amyloid protein blocks , which caused Alzheimer's disease in the human brain. But recently, Georgetown University research confirmed the first case of a 71-year-old HIV-infected man carrying amyloid blocks, through medical imaging scans.

"This patient may be the case that caused controversy in what we already know about dementia in HIV-positive people," said Dr. R. Scott Turner, study author.

The case indicates that some older people with HIV and dementia may have been misdiagnosed with HIV brain disorders. In fact, they must get diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It is also possible that they will carry both an HIV disorder and Alzheimer's, according to Dr. Turner.

"Long-term HIV infection and amyloid deposits in the brain may represent" double-stroke "to the human brain, leading to rapid memory loss , " Turner said in a press release. In this case, the exact diagnosis is important, because HIV and Alzheimer's brain disorders have two very different treatments.

Doctors will be more cautious in diagnosing dementia in HIV-positive people.

As of 2013, there were more than 53,000 HIV positive people in the United States. People 65 and older, age at risk of Alzheimer's begin to increase, the researchers said. Without including new diagnostic cases, this number is expected to double in the next 10 years.

"The report of this patient case opens an important view on HIV-related neurological disorders problems ," said Jeffrey Crowley, program director of the US HIV / AIDS Initiative.

Meanwhile, Crowley, former president of the White House's National AIDS Policy Office, said: "This finding must lead to additional studies and timely clinical interventions to support HIV-infected individuals. are facing the problem of neurological impairment ".