Unveiling the Prevalence of Anaemia and Its Predictors Among Adults on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in the Dolutegravir Era: a Retrospective Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction Both HIV/AIDS and anaemia are the most pressing public health issues globally. Moreover, there is a dearth of evidence regarding the frequency, severity, and prevalence of anaemia among HIV/AIDS-positive patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in Ethiopia following the rollout of the dolutegravir-based regimen by 2019 as the preferred first-line regimen. Thus, this study is aimed at assessing the prevalence, severity, and associated factors of anaemia among adult HIV-positive ART-experienced patients in Woreta Primary Hospital (WPH). Methods A health institution-based retrospective cross-sectional study design was conducted to evaluate the prevalence and factors influencing anaemia in HIV/AIDS-positive patients from February 2019 to September 2023. Medical record abstraction tools were used to gather data. Employing initially bivariate and then multivariate logistic regression models, the data were evaluated to uncover factors linked with anaemia. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test was applied to investigate the model's validity. Results The total prevalence of anaemia was 31.5% [95% CI: 28.9–33.8]. The prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe anaemia was 20.42%, 10.38%, and 0.70%, respectively. Predictors independently linked with anaemia were: female sex (AOR: 1.08), age ≥40 years (AOR: 1.21), lived with HIV >10 years (AOR: 2.31), CD4 counts <200 cells/μL (AOR: 3.81), nonsuppressed viral load (AOR: 1.28), history of opportunistic infections (AOR: 1.54), WHO clinical stage III & IV (AOR: 1.37, & 2.23, respectively), and history of parasitic infestation (AOR: 2.81). Conclusions A sizeable proportion of subjects were found anaemic. Female sex, older age, longer periods lived with the virus, lower CD4 count, nonsuppressed viral load, history of opportunistic infections, WHO clinical stages III and IV, and history of parasitic infestation were the contributing factors. Therefore, to improve the anaemic status and living circumstances of HIV-positive patients, immediate action on the linked variable is needed.