HI i have a friend that is diagnosed with pml, his cd4 counts are below 50. So my question is that what should i expect from my friend in this condition? I have seen drastic changes in his personality and various mood swings.Is this common? and how do i help my friend with his/ her condition? my friend has been diagnosed with pml since thanksgiving in october so there has been a dramtic change.Please let me know as this is very frustrating for both and i feel very helpless. thanks T

PMl can be a devastating disease, as it can affect many different areas of brain function, and the typical course before HAART was downhill. There have been a number of reports of patients with PML improving with the initiation of potent combination anti-HIV therapy ("HAART"). If your friend is not on optimal anti-HIV therapy, that is the first and most important step. In addition, cidofovir, an intravenous drug approved to treat CMV retinitis, has activity in the test tube against the virus that causes PML. There are a number of research sites around the country that are studying this drug for PML; if your friend doesn't have easy access to one of these AIDS Clinical Trials Units the drug can still be prescribed by your friend's doctor on the chance that it will help.