A.I.D.S. virus ‘may cause brain damage’
NZPA-PA London Thousands of people may suffer brain damage and serious personality changes as a result of exposure to the A.I.D.S. virus, a psychiatrist warned. Dr Tom Onen, senior registrar at St Thomas’s Hospital, London, said brain damage could occur before people developed full-blown A.I.D.S. One study showed that 10 per cent of people who were antibody positive had
signs of dementia. In the case of people witiu A.I.D.S. itself the proportion was 65 per cent. Dr Onen told the Institute of Medical Ethics in London that the A.I.D.S. virus could attack the brain causing meningitis, dementia, and spinal chord degeneration. It was not known if any treatment was possible yet because of the difficulties of getting drugs to cross the blood-brain barrtf
"In the next 10 to 15 years we are going to have a lot more people walking the streets with senile dementia,” he said. Dr Onen said those affected would suffer progressive memory loss and become socially unin hibited, irritable, suspicious and aggressive. He said the brain provided a good habitat . for the A.I.D.S. virus. Once there, it would carry on multiplying. -f- . A
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19870305.2.93
Bibliographic details
Press, 5 March 1987, Page 12
Word Count
193A.I.D.S. virus ‘may cause brain damage’ Press, 5 March 1987, Page 12
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.
Log in