Fresh drugs hope for HIV sufferers

Drugs used to treat infection with the AIDS virus may stop brain damage caused by HIV as well, new research has revealed.

The findings, published in the journal Neurology, appear to show that giving the AIDS drug combination known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to a sample of HIV-infected patients reduced their chances of suffering brain damage.

HIV is known to affect the brain and nerves but prior to this research, undertaken at Goteburg University, Sweden, it was not known quite how much impact the HAART drugs cocktail had on preventing brain damage.

Dr Asa Mellgren, who was involved in the study, commented: "This type of treatment appears to halt the neurodegenerative process caused by HIV."

The researchers also believe their findings illustrate new methods of monitoring the onset of brain damage in HIV sufferers, as well as the effects of drugs taken to prevent this.

Previous studies have shown that around a quarter of people with HIV will go on to suffer from dementia, with the virus producing proteins that cause brain cells to die.

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