Anemia And Associated Factors Among Adult People Living With HIV/AIDS Receiving Anti-Retroviral Therapy At Gedeo Zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia, 2018

BACKGROUND: Anemia is one of the most common blood abnormalities in people with HIV. The incidence of anemia ranges from 10% in people who have no HIV symptoms to 92% among individuals who have advanced AIDS. Anemia which is also one of the major challenges among HIV patients can lead to impaired physical functioning, psychological distress, poor quality of life, accelerated disease progression, and shorter life expectancy. There are different reports that show a large number of patients with both anemia and HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. However, the burden of anemia among those HIV/AIDS patients receiving ART is not fully understood in Gedeo zone health institutions. Hence, this study is designed to assess the prevalence of anemia and associated factors among adult HIV/AIDS clients receiving ART at Gedeo zone health institutions, SNNPR, Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Gedeo zone health institutions from November 21 2017 to January 30, 2018. The systematic random sampling technique was used to recruit the study participants. The hematocrit level was used to determine anemic status. Data were entered into EPI info version 7 and transferred to STATA version 12.0 for analysis. In order to identify factors associated with anemia, a multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed. RESULT: A total of 422 patients were included with a mean age of 33.85 (SD = ±9. 12) years. The prevalence of anemia was 34.8% (95% CI 30.1–39.8), while about 7.4%, 14.3%, and 13.1% of the patients had severe, moderate, and mild anemia, respectively. The mean hemoglobin was 14.6 (SD=±10. 8), (95% CI 13.6_15.8). INH/Isoniazid prophylaxis (OR =1.8 [95% CI: 1.1, 2.9]) and bedridden functional status (OR =5.48 [95% CI: 1.25, 23.8]) were determinants of anemia in this study. CONCLUSION: In this study, a large number of pateients had anemia (34.8%) with the majority of them having a moderate form. Functional status and using INH prophylaxis were determinant factors of anemia.