Burden and determinants of severe anemia among HIV-infected adults: Results from a large urban HIV Program in Tanzania, East Africa

Abel Makubi*, James Okuma, Donna Spiegelman, Claudia Hawkins, Anne Marie Darling, Elizabeth Jackson, Ferdinand Mugusi, Guerino Chalamilla, Wafaie Fawzi

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background and Methods: This cross-sectional study aimed at determining the prevalence and risk factors for severe anemia, severe microcytic anemia, and severe normocytic anemia among HIV-infected individuals aged >15 years. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for anemia. Results: Data from 40 408 patients were analyzed, showing an overall prevalence of 22% for severe anemia. The risk of developing severe anemia increased by 49% among patients with a body mass index of 18.5 kg/m2, by approximately 2-fold among patients with the World Health Organization (WHO) stage III, and by 3-fold among patients with WHO stage IV illness. Severe normocytic anemia was uniquely increased among patients aged ≥50 years, among those with chronic diarrhea and Kaposi's sarcoma, and those taking cotrimoxazole. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of severe anemia among adults infected with HIV. Focused identification of anemia should be based on the hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume measurements.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)148-155
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care
Volume14
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 20 2015

Funding

The author(s) disclosed the receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: HIV clinics in this study were funded through collaboration between the Government of Tanzania and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), HSPH, and by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The author was supported by a grant from National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a Fogarty International Clinical Research Fellow through grant number R24 TW007988-05 . The research reported work in this publication was supported by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health under award number U2RTW008254 . A cross-sectional study was conducted at 12 HIV care and treatment clinics (CTCs) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. These clinics are supported by the Management and Development for Health (MDH) HIV Care and Treatment Program funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The MDH-PEPFAR program has been enrolling participants into an HIV Care and Treatment Program since November 2004.

Keywords

  • HIV
  • adults
  • burden
  • determinants
  • severe anemia

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology
  • Dermatology
  • Infectious Diseases

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