Magnitude of Diabetes Mellitus and Associated Factors Among HIV-Infected Individuals on Follow-Up Care at Kuyu General Hospital, North Shoa, Oromia, Ethiopia

TL;DR

This study finds that diabetes is more common among HIV patients on ART in Ethiopia, especially older individuals with hypertension and high cholesterol.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into diabetes prevalence and risk factors among HIV-infected individuals in Ethiopia.

Findings

Diabetes was detected in 7.14% of HIV-infected individuals on ART.

Older age, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, and longer HIV duration were significantly associated with diabetes.

The diabetes prevalence was higher than in the general population in Ethiopia.

Abstract

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs improve life expectancy and reduce mortality. However, due to treatment-related metabolic complications, they are now developing comorbidities. In Ethiopia, there are a few reports of diabetes mellitus (DM)–human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) comorbidity. This study explores the magnitude of DM and associated factors among HIV-infected individuals on follow-up care at Kuyu General Hospital, Ethiopia.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted at Kuyu General Hospital from March 10, 2021–April, 2021. Adults with HIV-positive (aged ≥ 18 years) who were on ART were included. Systematic random sampling was used to select 294 HIV-positive adults who attended regular follow-up at the ART clinic. Descriptive analysis was conducted and reported in frequency and percentage. Both bivariable and multivariable analyses were computed. Variables with p < 0.25 in bivariable analysis were inserted into a multivariable logistic regression model to control possible confounders. The p value < 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval was considered as statistically significant.

Results: The age of the HIV-infected individuals enrolled ranged from 18 to 67 years with the mean age of 39.08 (SD = ±11.5) years. DM was detected in 21 (7.14%; 95% CI: 4.1–10.2) patients on medication whereas fasting plasma glucose between 111–125 mg/dL was 39 (13.3%; 95% CI: 9.5–17.3). The maximum (12.6%) of DM patients were aged 45 years and above. In the multivariable analysis, hypertension (AOR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.1–10.8), elevated total cholesterol (AOR = 4.3, 95% CI: 1.2–15.6), aged 45 years and above (AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.15–13.6), and duration of HIV (AOR = 4.7, 95% CI: 1.3–16.9) were significantly associated with DM.

Conclusions: In this study, the magnitude of DM among HIV-infected adults on ART follow-up was higher than the prevalence of DM in general populations. Older age, hypertension, increased total cholesterol, and duration of HIV were associated with a higher prevalence of DM. It is better for care providers assigned at ART clinics to detect DM, particularly after initiation of ART routinely, which may help to provide integrated care for comorbid patients.

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