vacs_1_0_index: Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) 1.0 Index

In cliot: Clinical Indices and Outcomes Tools

Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) 1.0 Index

Description

Calculates the VACS Index 1.0 score to estimate the risk of all-cause mortality in patients with HIV. The score integrates age, HIV-specific biomarkers (CD4, Viral Load), and general organ system injury markers (Hemoglobin, FIB-4 for liver fibrosis, eGFR for renal function, and Hepatitis C status).

Usage

vacs_1_0_index(age, cd4_count, hiv_rna, hemoglobin, platelets, ast, alt,
               creatinine, hepatitis_c_positive, sex = "male", race = "other")

Arguments

age	Numeric. Patient age in years.
cd4_count	Numeric. CD4 T-cell count (cells/mm^3).
hiv_rna	Numeric. HIV-1 RNA viral load (copies/mL).
hemoglobin	Numeric. Hemoglobin level (g/dL).
platelets	Numeric. Platelet count (x10^3/uL or x10^9/L).
ast	Numeric. Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) level (U/L).
alt	Numeric. Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) level (U/L).
creatinine	Numeric. Serum Creatinine level (mg/dL).
hepatitis_c_positive	Numeric (0 or 1). Hepatitis C virus (HCV) status (1 = Positive).
sex	String. Patient sex ("male" or "female"). Used for eGFR calculation.
race	String. Patient race ("black", "african american", "other"). Used for eGFR calculation (MDRD).

Value

A list containing:

VACS_Index_Score	The calculated total score (Range 0 to ~164).
Calculated_Values	Derived FIB-4 and eGFR values used in the score.

References

Justice AC, Modur SP, Tate JP, et al. Predictive accuracy of the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) Index for mortality with HIV infection: a North American cross cohort analysis. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2013;62(2):149-163. doi:10.1097/QAI.0b013e31827df36c

Examples

# Example 1: Low Risk
# 40yo, CD4 600, VL <500, Hgb 15, Plt 250, AST 20, ALT 20, Cr 0.9, HCV-
vacs_1_0_index(40, 600, 400, 15, 250, 20, 20, 0.9, 0)

# Example 2: High Risk
# 55yo (+12), CD4 150 (+10), VL 50k (+7), Hgb 11 (+22), FIB-4 >3.25 (+25), eGFR <30 (+26), HCV+ (+5)
# Approx calculation: 55y, CD4 150, VL 50000, Hgb 11, Plt 100, AST 100, ALT 40, Cr 3.0, HCV+
vacs_1_0_index(55, 150, 50000, 11, 100, 100, 40, 3.0, 1, "male", "black")

cliot documentation built on Dec. 1, 2025, 1:06 a.m.