Multilevel model on longitudinal data analysis in determinants of CD4 cell count among antiretroviral therapy attendant of HIV infected adults follow up in Gondar Teaching Referral Hospital, Gonder, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus attacked an immune cell and the CD4 cell which is responsible for the body’s immune to infectious agents. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is one of the major public health problems in Sub-Saharan Africa including Ethiopia. The main objective of this study to identify the determinants of CD4 cell count among antiretroviral therapy attendants of infected adults follow up in Gonder teaching referral hospital, Gonder, Ethiopia implemented by SAS version 94. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 216 regular follow up patients whose age greater than 14 years from December 1, 2012, to December 30, 2017. A multilevel model was used to identify the factors of CD4 cell count of patients and it considered variability between and within patients. RESULTS: The mean with a standard deviation of weight, and a hemoglobin level of patients were 55.48 (10.21), and 18.25 (33.028) respectively. This study concluded that the variation for CD4 cell count existed between patients was 63% and the remaining 37% of variation existing within patients. In this study, the random coefficient time-varying covariate model was well fitted which shows weight and hemoglobin level were statistically significant predictors at a 5% level of significance for the log of CD4 cell count of patients. CONCLUSION: This study shows the hemoglobin level and weight of patients were statistically significant for the log of CD4 cell count of patients follow up in Gonder teaching referral hospital, Gonder, Ethiopia. Moreover, the result of the study shows that the log of CD4 count of patients increased when hemoglobin level and weight of patients increased. Hence, intervention should be given the ways to increase weight and hemoglobin levels of patients during follow up of antiretroviral therapy.