| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2022 | Volume
: 29
| Issue : 3 | Page : 262-267 |
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Normative scores for select neuropsychological battery tests for the detection of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder amongst Nigerians
Martins Nweke1, Nombeko Mshunqane1, Nalini Govender2, Aderonke O Akinpelu3, Adesola Ogunniyi4
1 Department of Physiotherapy, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Enugu, Nigeria
2 Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, Nigeria
3 Department of Physiotherapy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
4 Department of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
Correspondence Address:
Martins Nweke
Department of Physiotherapy, University of Pretoria
Nigeria
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/npmj.npmj_31_22
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Background: The study aimed to derive socio-demographic–corrected norms for selecting neuropsychological (NP) battery tests for people living with HIV (PLWHIV) in Nigeria. This cross-sectional study was conducted amongst patients who attended the general outpatient clinic and junior staff of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla. Aims and Objectives: To determine the normative scores for select neuropsychological battery test for the detection of neurocognitive disorder amongst Nigerians PLWHIV. A sample of 92 individuals received voluntary HIV testing. Methods: Eligibility criteria were being HIV negative, aged 18–64 years and formal education. We undertook a brief neuromedical examination to identify putative exclusion criteria. We sampled four NP tests covering seven cognitive domains and the motor speed component of the International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS-MS). We presented the normative scores using statistics of mean, median, standard deviation (SD), kurtosis and skewness. Results: All the participants were Nigerians aged 18–64 years. Most (74.1%) of the participants were females. The mean and median ages of the participants were 42.6 ± 11.42 years and 44 years, respectively. The effect of gender on NP performance was limited to the digit span test (DST)-forwards, while education affected all expect IHDS-MS and DST-backwards. The cut-off scores for defining mild and severe impairment varied (moving from 1SD to 2SD) for all cognitive domains except for IHDS-MS and DST. Conclusions: With these preliminary normative scores, it will be easier to identify and classify the severity of neurocognitive impairment amongst PLWHIV in Nigeria, thus facilitating the goal of keeping HIV-associated dementia to a minimum. The lack of variability in the IHDS-MS and DST is unfavourable.
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