Quantum Units Education®

1. Studies of both HIV-positive and HIV-negative people who were either heavy or light drinkers found that chronic alcohol abuse exacerbates some metabolic injury in the brains of HIV-infected people.

2. The most severe manifestation of Central Nervous System disease is HIV-associated dementia complex, a neurological syndrome characterized by disordered mental and motor functions as well as disturbed ____________.

3. In the United States, _______ percent of HIV infected patients develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD) at some point during their lives, a rate that is approximately _______  times as high as that of the general population.

Effects of Combined HIV Infection and Alcohol Use on the Immune System

4. Research indicates that excessive alcohol use significantly increases the progression of HIV disease and the development of AIDS.

Adherence to HIV Treatment

5. Alcohol-abusing HIV-infected patients tend to exhibit lower adherence to their treatment regimens than do non-alcohol-abusing patients.

6. The region that carries the heaviest HIV load of all brain structures and shows effects of inflammation early in the course of the disease is:        

Neuropathology and Neuropsychology of Chronic Alcohol Abusers

7. The brains of chronic alcoholics are smaller, lighter, and exhibit greater atrophy than those of nonalcoholics of the same age and gender, which results from gray matter loss, particularly in the cerebral cortex.

Neuropathology and Neuropsychology of Chronic Alcohol Abusers

8. Which of the following is NOT one of the brain regions expected to be primarily affected in alcohol-abusing HIV-infected subjects?

CNS Effects of Combined HIV Infection and Chronic Alcohol Abuse

9. While the brain stem does not appear to be affected by alcohol abuse, some evidence indicates that HIV infection causes brain stem changes.

Future Outlook

10. Future longitudinal studies are needed to help determine whether aggressive alcoholism treatment can help ameliorate the functional and behavioral consequences of brain injury associated with HIV disease.