Prevalence and Associated Factors of Anemia in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Patientson Anti-retroviral Treatmentat St. Paul’s HospitalMillennium Medical College

Abstract

Abstract Background: Anemia is a common complication of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and may have various causes. It is the most common hematologic abnormality among HIV-infected individuals; this includes those who are taking antiretroviral treatment (ART) and those who are ART-naïve. Objective: the objective of this study was to assessthe prevalenceand associated factors of anemia in HIV infected patients who are on ART and have follow-upat SPHMMC ART clinic. Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional analytic study was conducted in 150 patients who were seen from January-June, 2019 G.C.Data on demographic characteristics, related factors of anemia, the latest complete blood count profile, CD4 and ART regimen was collected using a checklist. All HIV patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteriawere randomly selected. Data was collected by internal medicine residents and interns. Data was first checked manually for completeness and then was cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results were reported by tables, graphs and charts. Level of significance (p < 0.05) and CI (95%) wasreported. Results: Among the 150 HIV positive patients on ART,the prevalence of anemia was 14 %. Among the patients with anemia, majority (57.1%) had mild anemia and more than half (57.2%) ofpatients with anemia had macrocytic type. Sex, BMI, CD4 count and ART regimens were significantly associated with anemia. Conclusion and recommendation:Anemia is still a health problem in patients who are taking ART with proper follow-up. Therefore, HIV positive patients on ART in the follow-up clinic should have routine screening by CBC for anemia and those taking AZT based regimen needs particular attention. Key words: HIV, Anemia, ART, SPHMMC, Ethiopia