Abstract:
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.