Health Status in Adolescent and Adult HIV/AIDS Cases on ART at Alembank Health Center, West Addis Ababa.
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Date
2018-08-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Although the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which is the cause of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) continues to be a major global public health problem, with the introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) a major breakthrough is achieved. However, the success rate of the ART service is variable from setting to setting influenced by multiple factors. The present study assessed the health status ofpeople living with HIV/AIDS attending ART service at Alembank Health Center, southwestern Addis Ababa. It is a retrospective cohort study that examinedthe records of participants on ART for a minimum of six months and a maximum of fiveyears.Baseline and post-ART initiation socio-demographic as well as clinical data such asCD4 count, body mass index, hemoglobin level, functional status and WHO HIV-stagingwereorganized the central outcome variable being CD4 count. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 and Microsoft Excel statistical software. Paired t-test and correlation (Pearson bivariate) were performed to test change in mean CD4 count after ART initiation and the association between the socio-demographic and clinical factors.Statistically significance of the associations was set at p≤0.05.The records of 388participants (64.9% female and 35.1% male) were complete and analyzed. The mean and median CD4 count increments, respectively,were 180.3(61.1%)and 183.5(72.2%)cells/μl from the baseline.Adherence was significantlycorrelated withincrease in CD4 count (p=0.044) and functional status (p=0.018) indicating thatwith good adherence CD4 count increases and performance improves. Also, asignificant relationshipwas observed between the WHO HIV-staging and nutritional status (p=0.008), with better nutritional status there is improvement in HIV clinical stage.Overall, there was significant increase in the mean of CD4 count, improvement in performance status and WHO clinical staging (from III&IV to I&II) compared to the baseline demonstrating the betterment of health status of the cohort. Hence, the study confirms that ART therapy with good adherence is effective in improving the health status of people living with HIV/AIDS.
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ART, CD4 Count, Factional Status, Hemoglobin, HIV/AIDS, WHOclinical Stage