Anti-HIV Medication Can't Reach Brain
Brain Hides Virus From Anti-HIV Drugs

By Ashley Neglia

New studies suggest that the brain may act like a hiding place for HIV, preventing anti-HIV medication from effectively suppressing the virus in the brain. According to a study from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, 10 percent of patients taking anti-HIV medication show traces of the virus in the spinal fluid but not the blood, which indicates HIV is still present in the brain.

"Antiviral treatment in the brain is complicated by a number of factors, partly because it is surrounded by a protective barrier that affects how well medicines get in," said Arvid Edén, doctor and researcher at the Institute of Biomedicine at the Sahlgrenska Academy, in a press release. "This means that the brain can act as a reservoir where treatment of the virus may be less effective."



Anti-HIV medication can stop the virus from multiplying, preventing AIDS and keeping the immune system from being compromised. However, if the drugs cannot reach the brain and effectively suppress the virus, damage can occur.



In one report, the spinal fluid of 15 patients who had been taking anti-HIV medication for several years was tested. In 60 percent of the patients, signs of inflammation in the spinal fluid were found.



"In another study of around 70 patients who had also received anti-HIV drugs, we found HIV in the spinal fluid of around 10 percent of the patients, even though the virus was not measurable in the blood, which is a significantly higher proportion than previously realized," Edén explained in the press release.



While it's not clear whether the presence of the virus in spinal fluid can result in future damage, it seems that the current treatment used is not effective in totally suppressing the virus's effects.

"In my opinion, we need to take into account the effects in the brain when developing new drugs and treatment strategies for HIV infection," Edén said in the press release.