Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41280946›Full record

ArticleJournal of central nervous system disease2025

The Current State of Diagnostics for Neuroimmunological Disorders in Africa.

Malya Sahu, Mashina Chomba, Fiifi Duodu, Monica M Diaz, Dilraj Sokhi, Deanna Saylor

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of central nervous system disease, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Malya SahuDepartment of Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1875-5679
Mashina ChombaDepartment of Neurology, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.
Fiifi DuoduDepartment of Neurology, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
Monica M DiazDepartment of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Dilraj SokhiDepartment of Neurology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.
Deanna SaylorDepartment of Neurology, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The epidemiology of neuroimmunological disorders in Africa remains poorly understood. Regional variation in diagnostics and provider knowledge has led to challenges in real-world application of diagnostic criteria. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of clinicians practicing in Africa to characterize the current state of clinical diagnostic resources and developed a clinician-driven prioritized action plan. 130 respondents from 24 out of 54 countries in Africa participated (44% national response rate). Most respondents specialized in neurology (n = 86, 66%) and practiced in an urban setting (n = 84, 65%). While all participating countries had access to a neurologist and ophthalmologist, only half had access to an in-country neuroimmunologist. Three-quarters of respondents had access to an MRI within a 25-kilometer radius with most reporting a maximum magnet strength of 1.5 Tesla (n = 46, 61%). The median cost for an MRI brain was 150 USD, and MRI spine was 160 USD. The most urgent action item selected to improve the timely diagnosis of neuroimmunological conditions was subsidizing the cost of MRI followed by increasing availability of MRI. There were notable gaps in availability of specialists and access to MRI to diagnose neuroimmunological conditions in Africa. Urgent action and regional collaborations focused on addressing MRI cost and availability are needed.

Indexed as

diagnosticsglobal healthMOG-antibody diseaseMRImultiple sclerosisneuromyelitis optica

Identifiers

PMID41280946
PMCPMC12635045

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.