AIDS dementia can be a complication of the later stages of HIV infection. The dementia may occur due to the HIV itself or to one of the many opportunistic infections that occur as a result of the HIV virus. Early signs of AIDS dementia include slowed thinking, difficulty concentrating, apathy, and reflexes also become abnormal.
As you can see, there are many other forms of dementia besides that of Alzheimer's. When you hear the term dementia you can no longer just assume that person is "senile" or has Alzheimer's Disease.
Any change in mental status or behavior should be investigated by a medical professional.
Resources: The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, Seventeenth Edition; Copyright 1999 by Merck and Co., Inc.:Section 14; Chapter 171, Pages 1389-1400
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