Occurrence and Factors Associated with HIV-Sero-Discordance in Couples at Iganga General Hospital-Iganga District, Eastern Uganda

Abstract

HIV sero-discordant refers to a situation where in a pair of long-term sexual partners, one is HIV positive and the other is HIV negative. There is an increased risk of HIV transmission to the HIV-negative partner in discordant couples which makes HIV serodiscordant a hindrance to HIV control and prevention strategies. Sero-discordance is one of the factors affecting the impact of HIV prevention strategies, therefore effective HIV prevention strategies must consider HIV discordance. Limited knowledge about the prevalence of HIV serodiscordant in the community hinders the formulation of appropriate strategies for effective control of HIV transmission. The study was aimed at determining the prevalence of HIV serodiscordant and its associated factors among couples attending Iganga General Hospital. The knowledge generated will guide the stakeholders in formulating HIV prevention and control strategies aimed at reducing HIV transmission. A cross-sectional hospital-based study was carried out through the conduction of guided interviews using a questionnaire to random-systematically selected 250 couples attending IGH. Data was analyzed and presented in tables with percentages comparing different factors. The HIV seroprevalence was 6.8%. The prevalence of discordance was 4.8% among participant couples and 52.2% among the infected couples. HIV serodiscordant was associated with sexual practice (83.3%), circumcision status of the male partner in the couple (58.3%), condom use (58.3%), use of ARVs by the HIV-infected partner (25%), and experience of STIs among partners (25%). The prevalence of HIV serodiscordant among the participant couples was 4.8%, associated mainly with sexual practice, circumcision, and condom use. Keywords: HIV transmission, Discordant couples, Sexual partners, Condom, Serodiscordant