Low-dose hydrocortisone improves cognitive functions in women with HIV

Healio news story

Low-dose hydrocortisone improved verbal learning, memory and attention among virally suppressed women with HIV, who often report high stress levels and mood disorders that can affect these functions, according to researchers.

“Women with HIV tend to experience high levels of trauma and chronic stress and tend to have a lot of mood anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder, all of which are robust predictors of cognitive function, particularly as we think of learning and memory,” Leah Rubin, PhD, MPH, MA, a professor of neurology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, said during a presentation at CROI 2026.

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