EVALUATION OF CO-TRIMOXAZOLE AS PREVENTIVE THERAPY FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS IN JIMMA HEALTH CENTER, SOUTHWEST ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Co-trimoxazole is used as preventing therapy for many opportunistic infections in people living with HIV/AIDS. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate co-trimoxazole as preventive therapy in Jimma health center. A retrospective Cross-sectional method was used and data was collected from June 28 to July 08 2013. Form the total 320 patients, 185 (57.8 %) were females, 142 (98.4 %) were in the child bearing age. Most (90.3 %) of the patients were world health organization clinical stage I. There were not any cases in which co-timoxazole was used against contraindication; co-trimoxazole was used as per the recommended prophylactic dosage in 320 (100 %) of the patients. The treatment was discontinued in 11 patients, eight (2.5 %) of the discontinuations were due to CD4 count greater than 350 cell/mm. Co-trimoxazole preventive therapy was started prior to antiretroviral therapy in 260 (81.3 %), concurrently with Antiretroviral Therapy in 46 (14.4 %) and after Antiretroviral Therapy in 1 (0.3 %) of the patients. Only 29 (9.06 %) patients were monitored regularly and monitoring schedule or data was not recorded for 122 (38.13 %) patients. The evaluation of Co-trimoxazole as preventive therapy among people living with HIV/AIDS was in line with the WHO guideline for indication in all of the patients’. Dosage and observance of contraindication was also consistent with the guideline in most of the cases studied. Problems regarding patient monitoring and initiations of CPT relative to ART were identified in most of the patients.