Prevalence and Factors Associated With Liver Fibrosis Among Adult HIV-Infected Patients Attending Urban and Rural Care Clinics in Uganda
Loading...
Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Abstract
Liver fibrosis is common among HIV-infected patients. Risk factors vary by location. Understanding this variation
may inform prevention strategies. We compared the prevalence and correlates of liver fibrosis among HIV-infected patients
attending care clinics in Uganda.
Methods. This was a cross-sectional study involving 2030 HIV-infected patients attending care clinics in urban and rural
Uganda. Liver fibrosis was defined as liver stiffness measurement (LSM) >7.1 KPa. Proportions and correlates of liver fibrosis were
assessed and compared using logistic regression stratified by gender and site.
Results. Prevalence of liver fibrosis was higher among participants in the rural clinic (15% vs 11%; P = .017). History of tobacco
use (urban P = .022; rural P = .035) and serologic evidence of hepatitis C infection (HCV; urban P = .028; rural P = .03) was associated
with liver fibrosis in all men. Elevated liver transaminases (urban P = .002; rural P = .028) and increasing age (urban P = .008;
rural P = .052) were risk factors among all women. Tobacco use among women was only a risk factor in those attending the rural
clinic (P = .003), and detectable HIV viral load (P = .002) for men in the urban clinic.
Conclusions. Liver fibrosis is prevalent among HIV-infected persons in Uganda. HIV viral suppression and avoiding tobacco
may be strategies to prevent liver fibrosis and cancer risk.
Description
Keywords
ART era, Fibroscan, HIV/AIDS, Liver fibrosis, Sub-Saharan Africa
Citation
Wekesa, C., Kirk, G. D., Aizire, J., Benson, E. M., Karabarinde, A., Parkes-Ratanshi, R., & Ocama, P. (2020, November). Prevalence and Factors Associated With Liver Fibrosis Among Adult HIV-Infected Patients Attending Urban and Rural Care Clinics in Uganda. In Open Forum Infectious Diseases (Vol. 7, No. 11, p. ofaa483). US: Oxford University Press.