The screening for depression and neurocognitive disorders in subjects newly diagnosed with HIV

Background
Inflammatory mediators may be relevant to explain the frequent comorbidity between depression, neurocognitive disorders and HIV. HIV induces activation of inflammatory mediators, mainly cytokines, that have been involved in the onset of depression and response to antidepressant treatment.

Aim
To identify recurring profiles of inflammatory biomarkers subtending depression, effectiveness of antidepressants and neurocognitive disorders among HIV-infected individuals.

Methods
All adult newly HIV-diagnosed out-patients attending HIV clinics in three towns of Northern Italy were screened, assessed for depression and studied immunologically and for neurocognitive disorders.

Results
Twenty-five patients have been enrolled so far: of these, 35% were positive to PHQ-9 screening, of which 6 were positive to the diagnostic assessment for depression. No neurocognitive disorders were found among the patients. As the project will develop, it is expected that frequency of depression, neurocognitive disorders and effective antidepressant treatment will be found to correlate to the profile of immune biomarkers. These findings might help to understand the etiology of depression in HIV, and specifically the role of inflammation and immunological changes.