Abstract
BackgroundThe geographical distribution of intestinal parasites with conditions of poverty in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa coincides with that of HIV/AIDS. However, there is paucity of studies investigating the relationship between intestinal parasitic infections with CD4 counts and anemia in HIV/AIDS patients starting Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) in this region particularly and in Ethiopia in general. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in relation to CD4 count and anemia among ART-initiated patients in St. Mary Aksum General Hospital, Tigray, Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 242 ART-initiated participants during February to April 2017 in St. Mary Aksum General hospital. Data was collected using structured questionnaire and laboratory examination. Logistic regression was applied to assess any association between explanatory factors and outcome variables (P values < 0.05).ResultThe overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 26.4% and among the six types of parasitic genera identified Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (18.6%) and Giardia lamblia (2.1%) were the leading. According to the multivariate analysis, lack of hand washing before meal, eating uncooked vegetables, history of taking anti-parasite medication, stool consistency, and anemia were strongly associated with intestinal parasitosis.ConclusionThere was a high prevalence of intestinal parasites among HIV positive individuals. Intervention measures such as deworming, improving hygiene and sanitation practices should be strengthened to reduce the burden of intestinal parasites among people living with HIV.
Highlights
The geographical distribution of intestinal parasites with conditions of poverty in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa coincides with that of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/AIDS
There was a high prevalence of intestinal parasites among HIV positive individuals
Intervention measures such as deworming, improving hygiene and sanitation practices should be strengthened to reduce the burden of intestinal parasites among people living with HIV
Summary
The geographical distribution of intestinal parasites with conditions of poverty in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa coincides with that of HIV/AIDS. There is paucity of studies investigating the relationship between intestinal parasitic infections with CD4 counts and anemia in HIV/AIDS patients starting Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) in this region and in Ethiopia in general. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in relation to CD4 count and anemia among ART-initiated patients in St. Mary Aksum General Hospital, Tigray, Ethiopia. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Intestinal parasitic infections are among the major public health problems causing morbidity and mortality [2]. Anemia is the commonest hematological abnormality in patients with HIV It is associated with increased morbidity and is an indicator of poor prognosis among people with advanced HIV disease [10, 11]. Studies indicated that around 43% of patients enrolled on antiretroviral therapy were having lower hemoglobin (anemia) at baseline; it is found to be the strongest predictors of mortality among these patients [13]
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