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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Reprod. Health
Sec. HIV and STIs
Volume 6 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/frph.2024.1387464
This article is part of the Research Topic The Role of Electrocardiogram in Prediction of Cardiovascular and non-Cardiovascular Health Outcomes View all 5 articles
Electrocardiographic abnormalities and associated factors among HIVinfected adults on antiretroviral therapy
Provisionally accepted- 1 Mattu University, Mettu, Ethiopia
- 2 Jimma University, Jimma, Oromia, Ethiopia
- 3 Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
Background: Individuals living with HIV are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. This heightened vulnerability is influenced by various factors, including the direct impact of HIV infection, the side effects of HIV medications, and a higher presence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Detecting and managing cardiovascular diseases early in HIV-infected individuals is crucial for their overall health and well-being. Electrocardiography, a simple and non-invasive test, can provide valuable information in this regard. However, there is currently no published data on the prevalence of electrocardiographic abnormalities and the associated factors among HIV-infected adults in Ethiopia.Objectives: This study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of ECG abnormalities and associated factors among HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy.Methodology: A hospital-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at Mettu Karl Specialized Hospital (MKSH), southwest Ethiopia, among 96 HIV-infected patients and 96 HIVnegative control groups. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select HIV-infected respondents, and HIV-negative respondents were purposively recruited from caregivers. A face-to-face interview with a semi-structured and pretested questionnaire was conducted to collect the sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics of the study participants. Electrocardiography was done for all study participants using a 12-lead electrocardiograph, interpreted by a cardiologist, and classified according to the Minnesota Code classification system. The data were entered into Epi-Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Finally, descriptive statistics, chi-square, independent ttest, bivariable, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done at a 5% significance level.The study found that 49% of HIV-infected and 19.8% of HIV-negative participants had at least one ECG abnormality. The proportion of coded ST-segment abnormalities, T-wave abnormalities, longer QT interval, and sinus tachycardia was significantly higher in HIV-infected respondents than in HIV-negatives. Being a smoker [AOR=3.7, 95%CI: 1.03-13.6], being on Protease inhibitors [AOR= 3.6, 95%CI: 1.02-13.1] and having CD4 less than 350 cells/mm 3 [AOR= 3.2, 95%CI: 1.22-8.49] were significantly associated with ECG abnormalities among HIV-infected respondents.Compared to HIV-negative participants, HIV-infected patients had a significantly higher prevalence of ECG abnormalities. Screening for ECG abnormalities is needed for the early detection of cardiac abnormalities and the reduction of future complications.
Keywords: Cardiovascular Diseases, ECG abnormalities, HIV-infection, Mettu, Ethiopia
Received: 20 Feb 2024; Accepted: 29 Aug 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Befkadu, Ibrahim, Tadelle and Asefa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Zewudu Befkadu, Mattu University, Mettu, Ethiopia
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