Moving on From HAND: Why We Need New Criteria for Cognitive Impairment in Persons Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus and a Proposed Way Forward

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) criteria are frequently used to describe cognitive impairment in persons living with HIV (PLWH) across diverse populations globally. These criteria typically find 20-60% of PLWH meet criteria for HAND, which does not tally with clinical observations in the modern era that cognitive disorders present relatively infrequently. Most with HAND have asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment; however, the significance of low cognitive test performance without symptoms is uncertain. Methods underlying HAND criteria carry a false-positive rate that can exceed 20%. Comorbidities, education, and complex socioeconomic factors can influence cognitive test performance, further increasing the potential for misclassification. We propose a new framework to characterize cognitive impairment in PLWH that requires a clinical history and acknowledges the multifactorial nature of low cognitive test performance. This framework is intended to be applicable across diverse populations globally, be more aligned with clinical observations, and more closely represent HIV brain pathology.

Keywords: HAND; HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders; cognitive impairment; criteria.