1. The International HIV Dementia Scale: a new rapid screening test for HIV dementia.
- Author
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Sacktor NC, Wong M, Nakasujja N, Skolasky RL, Selnes OA, Musisi S, Robertson K, McArthur JC, Ronald A, and Katabira E
- Subjects
- AIDS Dementia Complex physiopathology, AIDS Dementia Complex psychology, Adult, Aged, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Developing Countries, Humans, Mass Screening methods, Mental Recall, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Psychometrics, Psychomotor Performance, Sensitivity and Specificity, Uganda, United States, AIDS Dementia Complex diagnosis
- Abstract
Objective: HIV dementia is an important neurological complication of advanced HIV infection. The use of a cross-cultural screening test to detect HIV dementia within the international community is critical for diagnosing this condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a new screening test for HIV dementia, the International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS) in cohorts from the US and Uganda., Design: Two cross-sectional cohort studies designed to evaluate for the presence of HIV dementia., Methods: Sixty-six HIV-positive individuals in the US and 81 HIV-positive individuals in Uganda received the IHDS and full standardized neurological and neuropsychological assessments. The sensitivity and specificity of varying cut-off scores of the IHDS were evaluated in the two cohorts., Results: In the US cohort, the mean IHDS score for HIV-positive individuals without dementia and with dementia were 10.6 and 9.3 respectively (P < 0.001). Using the cut-off of < or = 10, the sensitivity and specificity for HIV dementia with the IHDS were 80% and 57% respectively in the US cohort, and 80% and 55% respectively in the Uganda cohort., Conclusions: The IHDS may be a useful screening test to identify individuals at risk for HIV dementia in both the industrialized world and the developing world. Full neuropsychological testing should then be performed to confirm a diagnosis of HIV dementia.
- Published
- 2005