BackgroundEthiopia is one of the most seriously HIV affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Anemia is a known predictor of disease progression and death among HIV infected patients. In this study, we investigated the magnitude and correlates of anemia among HIV infected patients receiving HAART at a referral hospital in Ethiopia.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted from November 2011 to February 2012 in Zewditu Memorial Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Records of 1061 patients on HAART were selected using simple random sampling technique. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the study patients were collected using standardized data extraction instrument. Data were analyzed using STATA version 11.0. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were used to quantify the strength of association between anemia and its potential predictors.ResultsThe prevalence of anemia at baseline was 42.9%. However, the prevalence significantly decreased to 20.9% at 6 months (p < 0.001) and to 14.3% at 12 months (p = 0.001) after HAART initiation. At baseline, male sex (AOR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.18-2.03), clinical stage III/IV (AOR = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.45-2.83) and TB co-infection (AOR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.08-2.13) were independently associated with the odds of being anemic. After 6 months of HAART, male sex (AOR = 1.59; 95% CI: 1.13-2.23), baseline anemia (AOR = 2.38; 95% CI: 1.71-3.33) and TDF-based HAART (AOR = 2.87; 95% CI: 1.80-4.60) were independently associated with the odds of being anemic. Besides, anemia was independently associated with older age at 6 months. After 12 months of HAART, baseline anemia (AOR = 2.01; 95% CI: 1.36-2.97), age group 25–34 years (AOR = 5.92; 95% CI: 1.39-25.15), age group 45–54 years (AOR = 4.78; 95% CI: 1.07-21.36), CD4 count below 200 cells/mm3 (AOR = 2.15; 95% CI: 1.21-3.82) and 200–350 cells/mm3 (AOR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.13-3.25) were independently associated with the odds of being anemic.ConclusionsAlthough a remarkable reduction in the prevalence of anemia was observed following initiation of HAART, a significant proportion of HIV patients remained anemic after 12 months of HAART suggesting the need for routine screening and proper treatment of anemia to mitigate its adverse effects.

Studies have reported an inverse relationship between depressive symptoms and weight and CD4 gain and a positive association between social support and weight and CD4 gain. The main objective of this study was to explore the effect of depressive symptoms and perceived social support on weight change and CD4 cell progression in an HIV clinic in Ethiopia. The study design was descriptive cross-sectional, with a sample of 1815 HIV-infected adults age 18 years or above. Depressive symptoms and perceived social support were the independent variables, while weight and CD4 cell count were the dependent variables. Regression modeling was the main statistical approach used for the analysis. A significant proportion of females reported depressive symptoms: being bothered by things that do not bother other people, they had been depressed, and their sleep had been restless for 5-7 days a week. A lesser proportion of males reported these problems. A significant proportion of study participants did not have someone to borrow a small amount of money (6 USD) from for immediate help and did not have somebody to support them if they were confined to bed for several weeks. Worse depressive symptoms had a negative effect on weight gain and CD4 cell progression, while better perceived social support had a positive effect on both weight gain and CD4 cell progression. Interventions that address both of these background factors need to be designed and implemented as part of the HAART program to improve weight gain and CD4 cell progression.

There has been a massive expansion of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) services in Ethiopia since 2005. To assess clients' self-reported adherence to HAART medication, a descriptive, comparative cross-sectional study was carried out among adults receiving HAART medication at the Zewditu Memorial Hospital ART clinic in Addis Ababa. Of 1 808 clients eligible for the study, 1 722 agreed to participate. The data were collected over six weeks in February and March 2010. Ordered and binary logistic regression models were applied to analyse the data. The majority of participants were over age 30 years, most were females, and 90% had some formal education. More than half reported being 'extremely sure' about their ability to take most or all of their medication. Self-reported adherence to the medication was generally good, as 62% said they had never missed a dose. The most commonly cited reason for missing medication was being busy (57.5%). The odds of ever missing a dose of HAART were lower for males (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.44; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15-1.79), older persons (AOR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.97-0.99), and those who did not drink alcohol regularly. Similarly, the odds of being self-confident about taking the medication properly were higher for males and for those who did not drink alcohol regularly (AOR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.35-0.64). The odds of self-confidence in taking the medication were lower among those in lower income group. Those who reported an expenditure income of Birr 501-999 (AOR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.24-0.49) or Birr 1 000-1 999 (AOR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.29-0.60) had less self-confidence in taking their medication properly as compared to those who had an expenditure income of Birr 2 000 or more. There is a need to design and implement targeted adherence interventions that could lead to better treatment outcomes.

Background Although marked improvements in life expectancy have been observed with the rapid expansion of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), Cardiometabolic Syndrome (CMetS) is becoming a serious challenge for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The present study aimed in determining biomarkers and prevalence of CMetS in PLWHA. Methods A hospital-based, observational study was carried out between January 2019 & February 2020 among HIV infected adults (n = 288). Binary logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between the outcomes against the predictor variables. Results The current study revealed that the prevalence of CMetS was 28.5% (82/288) using the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)-2005 definition; and it was 43.5% (126/288) using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF)-2005. Male gender was less likely to be associated with CMetS (OR = .086, C.I. 0.025–0.292, p < 0.001) using the NCEP-2005 definition. Individuals with longer duration on ART have an increased odds of CMetS using both the NCEP-2005 (OR = 1.024, C.I. 1.005–1.043, p = 0.014) and the IDF-2005 (OR = 1.251, C.I. 1.061–1.472, p = 0.007) definitions. The age at which ART initiated yet have an impact on the outcomes of CMetS (NCEP-2005: OR = 1.27, C.I. 1.031–1.564, p = 0.025), indicating that individuals who started ART treatment at older age are more likely to have CMetS than their younger counterparts. The study further verified that, individuals with increased waist-grid (central adiposity) were more likely to have CMetS using both the NCEP-2005 (OR = 1.21, C.I. 1.029–1.418, p = 0.021) and the IDF-2005 (OR = 1.730 C.I. 1.454–2.058, p < 0.001) definitions. PLWHA with increased in DBP (OR = 1.164, C.I.1.080–1.254, p < 0.001), Triglyceride (OR = 1.027, C.I. 0.015–0.039, p < 0.001), and low density lipoproteins (OR = 1.075, C.I. 0.020–0.134, p = 0.007) were more likely to have CMetS using the NCEP-2005 definition. PLWHA without comorbidity were less likely to have CMetS (NCEP-2005: OR = 0.086, C.I. 0.025–0.292, p < 0.001). Conclusions The prevalence of CMetS in the study area was high. Risk factors associated with CMetS were waist circumference, gender, duration on ART; ART initiated age, waist-grid, and comorbidity. Biomarkers that were more likely contributed to the prevalence of CMetS include triglyceride, low density lipoproteins, and systolic blood pressure.

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