Predictors of Opportunistic Infections among HIV-infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Opportunistic infections (OIs) are diseases that cause infections in people whose immune systems are compromised. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of OIs and associated factors among HIV-infected patients. Institutional-based cross-sectional study was done in Eastern Zone, Tigray, Ethiopia. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from 394 study participants through an interview method. The required sample size was determined using a single population proportion formula. Participants were selected using a systematic random sampling method. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to find factors at p < .05. The prevalence of OIs was found to be 52% (95% CI [47.5, 57.1]). Occupation, CD4+ count, adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and functional status were independently associated with OIs. Intervention measures such as improving adherence to ART should be strengthened to further reduce the burden of OIs.

Thrombocytopenia as a Diagnostic Marker for Malaria in Patients with Acute Febrile Illness.

BACKGROUND: Thrombocytopenia is the most common hematological abnormality in patients with acute malaria. This study aimed to determine the role of thrombocytopenia as a diagnostic marker for malaria in patients with acute febrile illness. METHOD: A cross-sectional health facility-based study was conducted on 423 consecutively selected acute febrile patients at Ataye District Hospital from February to May 2019 GC. A complete blood count and malaria microscopy were performed for each acute febrile patient. ROC curve analysis was performed to calculate sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of platelet count in predicting malaria. A P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULT: Out of the 423 acute febrile patients, 73 (17.3%) were microscopically confirmed malaria cases and the rest 350 (82.7%) patients had negative blood film results. Of the microscopically confirmed malaria cases, 55 (75.34%) were P. vivax and 18 (24.66%) were P. falciparum. The prevalence of thrombocytopenia among malaria patients (79.5%) was significantly higher than those in malaria negative acute febrile patients (13.7%), P < 0.001. About 67% malaria-infected patients had mild to moderate thrombocytopenia and 12.3% had severe thrombocytopenia. The ROC analysis demonstrated platelet counts <150,000/µl as an optimal cutoff value with 0.893 area under the curve, 79.5% sensitivity, 86.3% specificity, 95.3% negative predictive value, and 54.7% positive predictive value to predict malaria. CONCLUSION: Malaria is still among the major public health problems in the country. Thrombocytopenia is a very good discriminatory test for the presence or absence of malaria with 79.5% sensitivity and 86.3% specificity. Therefore, this may be used in addition to the clinical and microscopic parameters to heighten the suspicion of malaria.

Self-Care Behavior and Associated Factors among Heart Failure Patients in Tigray, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of self-care behavior and associated factors among heart failure patients. This institutional-based cross-sectional study design was done in Tigray region, Ethiopia. The data collection process was made between February and April 2018. An interviewer assisted structured questionnaire and medical chart review was used to collect the data. Data was entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 22. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were conducted to identify the predictors (p < .05). In this study, a total of 408 study subjects was included. The mean age of the participants was 45.4 (±19). The overall prevalence of good self-care behavior was 45.8% (95% CI: 40.9-50.5). Regression analysis revealed that age, educational level, co-morbidity, knowledge about heart failure, and social support were significantly associated with self-care behavior. Healthcare providers should strengthen patient education to improve self-care behavior.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Early Postnatal Care Service Use Among Mothers Who Had Given Birth Within the Last 12 Months in Adigrat Town, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, 2018.

BACKGROUND: The care given for the first hours, days, and weeks after childbirth is life-threatening. So far, this period receives less attention from health-care providers than the care given to pregnancy and delivery. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of early postnatal care service use among mothers who had given birth in the last 12 months in Adigrat Town, Tigray, Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2018 among 481mothers who had given birth in the last 12 months. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select study participants. A pre-tested and structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data analysis was computed using SPSS version 20. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval and p-value less than 0.05 was used to determine the level of significance. RESULTS: The proportion of early postnatal care service utilization was 34.3% (95% CI: 29.9%-38.5%). Mothers' use of early postnatal care service was predicted by previous early postnatal care use (AOR=2.60, 95% CI: 1.41-4.77), ANC visit (AOR=0.122, 95% CI:0.059-0.251), delivery complication (AOR=5.57, 95% CI: 2.85-10.89), distance (AOR =5.05, 95% CI: 2.45-10.42), postnatal home visit (AOR=0.21, 95% CI: 0.11-0.40), awareness on early postnatal care (AOR=16.38 95% CI: 6.23-43.07), age (AOR=9.34, 95% CI: 1.73-50.27), (AOR=6.50, 95% CI: 2.29-18.41), (AOR= 6.23, 95% CI: 2.38-16.33) and income (AOR=7.97 95% CI: 2.42-26.26, AOR=3.30 95% CI:1.42-7.67). CONCLUSION: Our study's finding revealed that the prevalence of early postnatal care service use was low. Early postnatal care service use was significantly associated with previous early postnatal care use, delivery complication, distance, postnatal home visit, number of ANC visits, awareness on early postnatal care use, age, and income.