Abstract:
Background: The introduction of active antiretroviral therapy significantly decreases human
immunodeficiency virus associated morbidity and mortality. However, anti-retroviral therapy
and other factors such as virus, alcohol consumptionand other medicationscauseliver
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damage, and thisresult in bad adherence. Additionally, there is a dearth of evidence on liver
function impairment and related issues among adult human immunodeficiency virus patients
receiving antiretroviral therapy in central Ethiopia.
Objective: To assess liver function impairment and associated factors among adult human
immunodeficiency viruspositive patients taking Antiretroviral treatment at Wachamo
University Nigist Eleni Mohammed Memorial Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Central
Ethiopia, from December 10, 2023, to March 15, 2024.
Methods: - A cross-sectional study was conducted at Wachamo University Nigist Eleni
Mohammed Memorial Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia, involving 307 HIV
positive adults receiving antiretroviral therapy.The study utilized a convenientsampling
technique, a structured questionnaire for collecting socio-demographic data, and clinical
data from medical records.Five ml of whole blood was collected and clotted for serum
preparation. Albumin, direct bilirubin, total bilirubin, and Aspartate and Alanine
transaminase activities were determined using Cobas C311 chemistry analyzer.Hepatitis B
and C viruses were detected using a serological test stripwhile body mass index was
calculated using height and weight measurements.Bivariate and multivariable logistic
regression analyses were performed to identify factors associatedwith liver function
impairment using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. P-values
< 0.05 with a 95% confidence level were used to declare statistical significance.
Results: - Of the 307 HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy, 19.2% (95% CI=15.0-24.1%)
showed abnormal liver function. All the impairment were grade I. Patients who have HbsAg
(AOR = 5.6; 95% CI = 1.8-17.9, P= 0.003), use of herbal medicine(AOR=6.3; 95% CI=2.6
15.6, P= 0.001), and use of anti-tuberculosis drugs (AOR=3.6; 95%CI=1.15-11.4, p=0.028)
were associated factors for developing liver function impairments.
Conclusion: -Hepatitis B virus, herbal medicine and anti-tuberculosis drugs identified as
factors associated with liver function impairements. So clinicians should follow these factors
closely.
