My friends husband has HIV. DX 10 years ago. He is having personality changes. Can you please explain what could be causing these changes. He is telling people he thinks she is forgettful and developing alzheimers. We are nurses and M. is not showing signs of this. Also he is angry and belittling to her. This is not how he has been in the past. She is becoming frightened of him at times. We are interested in what has been found as to personality changes with HIV. He is on several meds. He has developed diabtes and early CAD. He is 71 years old.

Thank you, Juanita

HIV is a virus which infects the brain so patients can manifest Alzheimers like personality changes particularly if they have a lower CD4 count (< 200) and are not receiving effective HIV therapy. Many other conditions can contribute including drug side effects (such as from Sustiva an HIV medicine or other medications), small strokes or compromised blood flow to brain from a variety of conditions (such as heart failure). In addition mental health problems can develop in the context of aging, chronic disease and stress as well as life's many disappointments. A careful neuropsychiatric evaluation is often helpful to sort out. KH