Injuries to the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) are common in HIVAssociated Dementia (HAD) patients and are a common characteristic of HIV encephalitis. BBB degradation can also be seen in HIV-infected people who are asymptomatic and not on Antiretroviral medication (ART). The goal of this study was to look at the BBB's integrity before and after starting ART in both neuroasymptomatic HIV infection and HAD patients. In longitudinally monitored neuroasymptomatic HIV-1-infected persons and patients with HAD, BBB integrity was assessed by comparing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)/ plasma albumin ratios in archived CSF samples prior to and after beginning of ART. We also looked at HIV RNA in the blood and CSF, the IgG Index, CSF WBC counts, and 2-micoglobulin, neopterin, and neurofilament light chain protein quantities in the CSF (NfL).
