Category Archives: Epidemiology
Prevalence and impact of HIV infections in patients with rheumatic heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Socioeconomic factors such as poor health and poor nutrition in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) may favour inflammatory reactions, thus contributing to the recurrence of rheumatic fever (RF) and thereby...
The incidence rate of tuberculosis and its associated factors among HIV-positive persons in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Tuberculosis, along with HIV, is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. Despite the fact that several primary studies have been conducted on the incidence rate of tuberculosis...
The global prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among men who have sex with men: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the global prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts among men who have sex with men (MSM) as a systematic review, and meta-analysis. METHODS: For...
Collection of menopause data in studies of women living with HIV: A systematic literature review
Objectives An increasing number of women living with HIV are transitioning through midlife and menopause. Women living with HIV may experience earlier menopause and a higher symptom burden than women...
Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, a controversial burden in the East African context: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction It is well established that starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) increases a patient’s life expectancy among HIV-positive individuals. Considering the HIV pandemic, the major concern is initiation of ARTs to...
Morbidity and mortality in tuberculosis associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome in children living with HIV: A narrative review
Tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution syndrome (TB-IRIS) is an increasingly recognized complication of children living with HIV who are receiving treatment for active tuberculosis (TB). The purpose of the study was to...
Attrition one year after starting antiretroviral therapy before and after the programmatic implementation of HIV “Treat All” in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction Evidence on the real-world effects of “Treat All” on attrition has not been systematically reviewed. We aimed to review existing literature to compare attrition 12 months after antiretroviral therapy (ART)...
Systematic review of prevalence and risk factors of transfusion transmissible infections among blood donors, and blood safety improvements in Southern Africa
Blood and blood products are listed as one of the essential medicines by the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition to inadequate supply, most sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) nations fail to...
Impact of differentiated service delivery models on retention in HIV care and viral suppression among people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Differentiated service delivery (DSD) models, such as adherence clubs (ACs), are client-centred approaches where clinically stable people living with HIV (PLHIV) meet to receive various services, including psychosocial support, brief...
Effectiveness of linkae to care and prevention interventions following HIV self-testing: A global systematic review and meta-analysis
Over 38.4 million people were living with HIV globally in 2021. The HIV continuum includes HIV testing, diagnosis, linkage to combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), and retention in care. An important...
Prevalence and risk factors of tuberculosis among people living with HIV/AIDS in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and risk factors associated with tuberculosis (TB) among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in China. METHODS: A systematic review...
Fecal microbiota transplantation in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patient population: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection suffer from alterations in gut microbiota due to recurrent gastrointestinal infections and systemic inflammation. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) appears to be a...
