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The International HIV Dementia Scale: a new rapid screening test for HIV dementia
Sacktor NC, Wong M, Nakasujja N, Skolasky RL, Selnes OA, Musisi S, Robertson K, McArthur JC et al.. AIDS (London, England), 2005-09-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
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 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.
Key findings
- 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).
Why it matters
A new brief screening test, the International HIV Dementia Scale, was evaluated in HIV-positive people in the US and Uganda to help identify those at risk for HIV dementia. The authors conclude it may be useful for screening, but full neuropsychological testing is still needed to confirm a diagnosis.
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 53/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 51 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 53 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (AIDS (London, England)) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | AIDS: journal h-index 267 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2005 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 399 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 17.3 citations a year over 23 year(s) since 2005 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 12 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 4 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 16103767) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 51 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 51 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 53 out of 100. |
| Total | 53 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Sacktor, N. C., Wong, M., Nakasujja, N., Skolasky, R. L., Selnes, O. A., Musisi, S., et al. (2005). The International HIV Dementia Scale: a new rapid screening test for HIV dementia. AIDS (London, England). https://doi.org/10.1097/01.aids.0000180790.77379.3a
Vancouver
Sacktor NC, Wong M, Nakasujja N, Skolasky RL, Selnes OA, Musisi S, et al. The International HIV Dementia Scale: a new rapid screening test for HIV dementia. AIDS (London, England). 2005. doi:10.1097/01.aids.0000180790.77379.3a. PMID: 16103767.
BibTeX
@article{sacktor2005-16103767,
author = {Sacktor, N. C. and Wong, M. and Nakasujja, N. and Skolasky, R. L. and Selnes, O. A. and Musisi, S. and Robertson, K. and McArthur, J. C. and others},
title = {{The International HIV Dementia Scale: a new rapid screening test for HIV dementia}},
journal = {AIDS (London, England)},
year = {2005},
doi = {10.1097/01.aids.0000180790.77379.3a},
pmid = {16103767},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/01.aids.0000180790.77379.3a}
}
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