HIV/AIDS: Research and Palliative Care (Oct 2020)
Prevalence and Predictors of Neurocognitive Impairment in Ethiopian Population Living with HIV
Abstract
Mohammed Salahuddin,1,2 Md Dilshad Manzar,3 Hamid Yimam Hassen,4,5 Aleem Unissa,6 Unaise Abdul Hameed,7 David Warren Spence,8 Seithikurippu R Pandi-Perumal9 1Department of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University (Mizan Campus), Mizan, Ethiopia; 2Pharmacology Division, Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi, USA; 3Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mizan Tepi University, (Mizan Campus), Mizan, Ethiopia; 5Department of Primary and Interdisciplinary Care, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; 6Malla Reddy College of Pharmacy, Hyderabad, Telangana, India; 7Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Australia; 8Independent Researcher, Toronto, ON M6K 2B4, Canada; 9Somnogen Canada Inc, Toronto, ON, CanadaCorrespondence: Mohammed Salahuddin Department of BioMolecular SciencesUniversity of Mississippi, School of Pharmacy, 331 Faser Hall, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677-1848 Tel +1 662-609-3011Email [email protected]: Modern antiretroviral therapy has extended the life expectancies of people living with HIV; however, the prevention and treatment of their associated neurocognitive decline have remained a challenge. Consequently, it is desirable to investigate the prevalence and predictors of neurocognitive impairment to help in targeted screening and disease prevention.Materials and Methods: Two hundred and forty-four people living with HIV were interviewed in a study using a cross-sectional design and the International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS). Additionally, the sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics of the patients were recorded. Chi-square and binary logistic regression analysis were used to determine the level of significance among the independent risk factors and probable neurocognitive impairment.Results: The point prevalence of neurocognitive impairment was found to be 39.3%. Participants’ characteristics of being older than 40 years (AOR= 2.81 (95% CI; 1.11– 7.15)), having a history of recreational drug use (AOR= 13.67 (95% CI; 6.42– 29.13)), and being non-compliant with prescribed medications (AOR= 2.99 (95% CI; 1.01– 8.87)) were independent risk factors for neurocognitive impairment.Conclusion: The identification of predictors, in the Ethiopian people living with HIV, may help in the targeted screening of vulnerable groups during cART follow-up visits. This may greatly help in strategizing and implementation of the prevention program, more so, because (i) HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment is an asymptomatic condition for considerable durations, and (ii) clinical trials on neurocognitive impairment therapies have been unsuccessful.Keywords: cART, HIV, IHDS, Africa, dementia, Ethiopia, recreational drugs
