title: Prevalence of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND) among Patients Attending a Tertiary Health Facility in Northern Nigeria.
abstract: HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) is a great source of morbidity in sub-Saharan African region. However, the magnitude of this problem remains largely uninvestigated despite having the largest number of population with HIV/AIDS. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of HAND among patients attending a tertiary health facility in Nigeria.
  
  
  
  We conducted a cross-sectional study among HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for at least 1 year. They were assessed using the International HIV Dementia Scale, Word Recall Test, Stick Design Test, Subjective Cognitive Complaint Questionnaire, Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, Drug Abuse Screening Test, Center for Epidemiological Study-Depression Scale, Instrumental Activity of Daily Living, and neurological examination. The CD4 count and viral load were determined for all the participants. A consensus diagnosis was made on each case based on the Frascati criteria. Data obtained were analyzed using "SPSS" for Windows version 15.
  
  
  
  A total of 418 HIV-positive patients participated in the study, of which 325 (77.8%) are females. The mean age (standard deviation) of the participants was 37.2 (9.3) years. The prevalence of HAND was 21.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 17.6%-25.4%), of which 9.6% were asymptomatic. The significant predictors of HAND in this study are duration of illness (odds ratio [OR] = 1.33 P < .001), detectable viral load (OR = 0.19, P < .001), CD4 count (OR = 0.99, P < .001), education (OR = 0.94, P = .011), stopping medication (OR = 3.55 P = .01), and severity of illness (OR = 1.24, P = .005).
  
  
  
  One-fifth of the HIV-positive patients in this study had HAND. Various sociodemographic and clinical features were related to the prevalence of HAND.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Abdulkareem Jika
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Yusuf
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Haematology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Abdulaziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Haematology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Aisha Indo
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Mamman
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Haematology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Haruna Mohammed
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Muktar
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Haematology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Aishatu Maude
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Suleiman
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Olusegun
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Baiyewu
mesh_terms: D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011594:Psychometrics; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D019562:Viral Load
keywords: CD4 count; HIV; cognitive impairment; viral load