The detection of opportunistic infections in individuals newly diagnosed with HIV serves as an indicator of the gaps in awareness and timely testing for HIV.
Global initiatives have significantly enhanced early HIV detection. However, despite the strides, in many parts of the world, late diagnosis and the prevalence of opportunistic infections persist.
A retrospective study published in Annals of Global Health focused on evaluating the occurrence and types of opportunistic infections (OIs) among newly identified HIV patients in Ghana and the factors influencing them.
Variables That Impact Opportunistic Infections in Ghana’s HIV Patients
An analysis was carried out using data from 423 patients at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, aged 18 years and older, diagnosed with HIV between July 1, 2018 and December 2019. Through the application of multivariate logistic regression, the study examined the variables associated with the onset of OIs. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant for this study.
The participants' average age at the time of diagnosis was 40.15 years ± 11.47 years, with a gender distribution of 30.3% male and 69.7% female.
The investigation revealed a 33.1% prevalence rate of opportunistic infections among newly diagnosed patients (95% confidence interval (CI) 34.6–44.1). Notably, approximately 70% of those affected by OIs were in WHO clinical classification stages III or IV of HIV.
Common Opportunistic Infection Types
Candidiasis, affecting the oral to esophageal regions, emerged as the most prevalent OI at 36.9%, followed by cerebral toxoplasmosis at 19.9%. The analysis also indicated that women had a 51% lower chance of presenting an OI at diagnosis compared to men.
Factors Influencing Prevalence
Factors such as employment status significantly influenced the likelihood of OIs, with employed individuals having 2.5 times higher odds than their unemployed counterparts and self-employed individuals having 3.6 times higher odds. Students were noted to have 3.8 times higher odds of developing an OI.
In addition, those in the later stages of HIV, specifically stages III and IV, were significantly more prone to OIs, with a likelihood 15.88 times greater than those in earlier stages.
The Need for Detection Strategies
In this study, one-third of patients receiving a new HIV diagnosis also contended with opportunistic infections, with a higher susceptibility noted among men. This highlights a need for enhanced detection strategies, focusing particularly on reaching and testing men, to bridge the awareness and testing gap effectively.
Source:
Puplampu, P., Asafu-Adjaye, O., Harrison, M., Tetteh, J., & Ganu, V. (2024). Opportunistic Infections among newly diagnosed HIV patients in the largest tertiary facility in Ghana. Annals of Global Health, 90(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.4149
