Demographic Distribution Pattern and Antiretroviral Therapy Status Among HIV Patients in Selected Tertiary Hospitals in Abeokuta, Ogun State

Abstract

The occurrence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Nigeria is relatively high and compromised with low antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage. The study aimed at investigating the effect of ART on the CD4 cell count among seropositive individuals. Blood samples of HIV patients visiting three referral hospitals in Abeokuta were collected and CD4 cell count determined via flow cytometry method. Socio-demographic data of patients were also collected and analyzed using STATA/IC. A total of 615 seropositive blood samples were collected from three hospitals. The female to male ratio was found to be 2:1 of which age bracket 20-40 years had the highest infective number (63.3%) among other age categories. There was higher HIV occurrence among the married (52%) than the single (26.8%), while those with primary or secondary education had the highest (42.4%) compared to tertiary education (36.7%) and no formal education (9.1%). The CD4 count of infected cases showed that 51.2% had CD4 count between 100-200 cells/µL with 5.2% above 200 cells/µL. Also only 47.3% of the total infected cases placed on ART had a mean CD4 cell count (132.1±4.23) higher than those not on ART (CD4 count = 98.67±3.56). As a way of effectively managing HIV in Ogun State and meeting the 2030 set goal of USAIDS there is need for more HIV screening for early commencement of ART towards suppressing viral load.