Prevalence and factors associated with advanced HIV disease among young people aged 15 – 24 years in a national referral hospital in Sierra Leone: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Advanced HIV in young people living with HIV is an increasingly pressing public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite global progress in early HIV testing and reducing HIV-related deaths, many young people with HIV continue to experience HIV disease progression in sub-Saharan Africa. This study provides an overview of the prevalence, clinical manifestations, and factors associated with advanced HIV in young people seeking medical services in a major hospital in Sierra Leone. METHODS: We used a cross-sectional design to collect data from HIV patients aged 15 to 24 years at a major hospital in Sierra Leone between September 2022 and March 2023. Advanced HIV was defined as (i) CD4+ below 200 cells/mm3 or (ii) WHO clinical stage 3 or 4. Logistic regression models determined the association between observable independent characteristics and advanced HIV. The statistical significance level was set at 0.05 for all statistical tests. RESULTS: About 40% (231/574) of patients were recruited; 70.6% (163/231) were inpatients, and 29.4% (68/231) were outpatients. The mean age was approximately 21.6 years (SD ±2.43). The overall prevalence of advanced HIV was 42.9% (99/231), 51.5% (35/68) of outpatients, and 39.3% (64/163) of inpatients. Age of inpatients (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.00–1.52; p= 0.047) was associated with a higher risk. Female sex (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.28–0.94; p= 0.030), higher education (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.10 – 0.78; p= 0.015), and Body Mass (OR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.01–0.77; p= 0.028) were at lower risk of advance HIV. Common conditions diagnosed in this population are tuberculosis (13.58%), hepatitis B (6.13%), Kaposi sarcoma (3.07%), and esophageal candidiasis (2.45%). CONCLUSION: We reported a high prevalence of advanced HIV among young patients in a referral Hospital in Sierra Leone. This emphasises the need to strengthen public health measures and policies that address challenges of access to HIV services.