Assessment of intestinal parasites and associated factors among HIV/AIDS patients on antiretroviral therapy at Bule Hora General Hospital, West Guji, Ethiopia

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess the prevalence of intestinal parasites and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy at Bule Hora General Hospital, West Guji, Oromia, Ethiopia. INTRODUCTION: Parasitic infection of the intestinal tract is a major source of disease in patients with HIV, particularly in the tropics, where diarrhea is a common complaint with variable severity. METHOD: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to August 2021 on 179 systematic randomly selected HIV patients. Data on sociodemographics were collected by interviewing the study subjects using a pretested structured questionnaire. Stool specimens were collected from the study subjects and processed and examined by formol-ether concentration techniques. Data were obtained from each individual using data sheets and then entered into SPSS version 20 for analysis. The chi-square test was calculated, and a p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Out of 179 study subjects, 52 (29.1%) were infected with intestinal parasites. The most frequently detected parasites were Giardia lamblia (38.5%) and Ascaris lumbricoides (25%) Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (15.4%), followed by Strongyloides stercoralis (11.5%). Factors such as the CD4+ T-cell status and source of drinking water were significantly associated with the prevalence of intestinal parasites among HIV/AIDS patients. The prevalence of intestinal parasites was highly observed among patients who scored CD4+ T cells <200 cells/mm(3) 90.4% (47/52) and drink ground water 73.1% (38/52). CONCLUSION: There was moderate prevalence of intestinal parasites among HIV/AIDS patients; therefore, treating unprotected water before drinking and diagnosis of early parasites for HIV/AIDS patients whose CD4+ T-cell count is less than 200 cells/mm(3) should be practiced to prevent intestinal parasite infection.