Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections and Anaemia among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infected Patients in Specialist Hospital Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Anaemia is among the usual haematologic malformations in patients with HIV and has been associated with disease advancement and poor clinical consequences. A better understanding of the causes of HIV-related anaemia may provide important entry points for improving the chronic indications of HIV-related disease. Intestinal parasitic infections and HIV/AIDS have been the major public health problems and remain a key cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries, where HIV/AIDS cases are more centered. Almost eighty percent (80%) of AIDS patients die of AIDS related infections. Intestinal parasitic infections and HIV infections have also independently been associated with anaemia. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of anaemia and intestinal parasitic infection among HIV infected patients attending Specialist Hospital Yola. Two hundred and twenty seven (227) fecal and blood samples were collected from HIV infected patients and examined macroscopically (for stool consistency) and microscopically for intestinal parasites.  The blood samples were examined using hematology autoanalyser, Sysmex KN-21 and the data collected were analyzed using SPSS Version 25 and Chi – square test was used to determine the relationship between the variables. The overall prevalence of anaemia in the study was 52.42 % which is statistically significant (p<0.05). In relation to sex, the males had the higher prevalence rate of 71.43% than their females Counterparts which had 46.19%, which is statistically significant (p<0.05) indicating that sex was a risk factor for acquiring anaemia among HIV infected patients. Based on age, the patients between the age group 0 -25 years had the highest prevalence rate 65.63% while the age group between 26 – 51 had the least prevalence rate of 49.11% indicating that age was not significantly associated with anaemia in HIV infected patients with (p>0.05). The prevalence of anaemia in association with intestinal parasites in this study was 94.44 % which is statistically significant. It is concluded that, there is significant prevalence of anaemia among HIV infected patients caused by intestinal parasites. It is therefore, recommended that treatment of intestinal parasites should be considered during the routine follow up of HIV infected patients to minimize HIV co-infection with intestinal parasites which impact negatively by lowering hemoglobin level of the patients.