BackgroundHIV-infected persons have a greater risk of developing respiratory disorders. Poor socio-economic status, High viral load, low CD4 counts, and anti-retroviral therapy are linked with the problems. Despite its high prevalence the association between retroviral infection and pulmonary function status as well as their associated factors has not yet well established in resource-scarce countries in general and study setting in particularMethodsA comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from September 24 to October 15 of 2020 at Jimma Medical Center among HIV-positive patients and matched control group. Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire administered via face-to-face interview. The collected data included Socio-demographic, respiratory, retroviral infection, and substance use related. Pulmonary function tests were also conducted using SP10 spirometer. Collected data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Independent t-test and multiple linear regressions were carried out to identify factors independently associated with the pulmonary function status of the study participants while controlling for potential confounders.ResultsOne hundred ninety two HIV-positive patients and matched control individuals participated in the study. A mean pulmonary function test parameters among HIV-infected participants were FVC (l) (2.957±0.792, p0.006), FEV (l) (2.289±0.593, p<0.001), and PEFR (l) (4.258±2.039, p<0.001) with a significant declined in the group. Respiratory symptom, history of pulmonary TB, duration of living with RVI, duration of treatment, and current CD4 cell count were significant predictors of pulmonary function test indices(p<0.05) in HIV infected respondents.ConclusionA significant reduction in mean pulmonary function parameters were observed among HIV-positive participants in comparison to non-RVI participants. A strong association was observed between pulmonary function status of HIV-infected patients and current CD4 count, duration of living with RVI, duration of treatment, and history of PTB. Therefore, due consideration in screening, diagnosing, and managing noninfectious lung diseases should be given by health professionals while treating HIV-infected patients.

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2 DM) is a common type of DM characterized by hyperglycemia. Glycation of hemoglobin and related proteins in DM can affect the physiological and structural properties of red blood cells. Although glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) test continues to be the gold standard for the assessment of long-term glycemic control accessibility and affordability of the test in routine diagnosing service are still limited in developing countries. Hence, this study was aimed to assess red blood cell parameters as a biomarker for long-term glycemic monitoring among T2 DM patients.Methods: Facility-based cross-sectional study through a consecutive sampling technique was conducted among 124 T2 DM patients at the chronic illness follow-up clinic of Jimma Medical Center (JMC) from July 27 to August 31, 2020. A structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and clinical-related data. Five milliliters of the blood specimen was collected from each eligible T2 DM patient. HbA1c and red blood cell parameters were determined by Cobas 6000 and DxH 800 fully automated analyzers respectively. Data were entered into Epi-data software version 3.1 and exported to SPSS 25 version for analysis. Independent t-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used to address the research questions. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of study participants was 51.84± 11.6 years. 60.5% of T2 DM patients were in poor glycemic control. There was a significant mean difference between good and poor glycemic controlled T2 DM patients in red blood cell count (4.79±0.5 vs 4.38±0.8), hemoglobin (14.13±1.4 vs 13.60±1.6), mean corpuscular volume (89.52±4.7 vs 92.62±7.5), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (29.63±1.6 vs 30.77±2.9), and red cell distribution width (13.68±1.1 vs 14.63±1.2) respectively. Red blood cell count was inversely correlated (r=-0.280, p=0.002) with HbA1c while mean corpuscular volume (r=0.267, p=0.003), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (r=0.231, p=0.010), and red cell distribution width (r= 0.496, p=0.000) were positively correlated with level of HbA1c. Conclusion: Red cell count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and red cell distribution width could be useful indicators to monitor the glycemic status of T2 DM patients instead of HbA1c, though large prospective studies should be considered.