Category Archives: Epidemiology and Determinants of Health
Prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among adults taking antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Undernutrition (Body Mass Index < 18.5 kg/m2) is a common problem and a major cause of hospital admission for patients living with HIV. Though sub-Saharan Africa is the most...
Methodologies used in studies examining substance abuse, violence and HIV/AIDS (SAVA) constructs using a syndemic framework: A scoping review
The syndemic theoretical framework has been used in health disparities research to explain several co-occurring epidemics, particularly in populations facing disparate health conditions. A prominent example of this is seen...
Does telehealth affect the adherence to ART among patients with HIV? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Several studies have shown different effects of telehealth interventions on adherence to Antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people living with HIV. This study conducted a meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials...
Monkeypox epidemiology, clinical presentation, and transmission: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: The new zoonotic viral infection, monkeypox, is a global health issue. Our study aimed at studying the epidemiology, clinical presentation, complications, case fatality rate, and transmission among the present...
Immediate treatment for recent hepatitis C infection in people with high-risk behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are almost exclusively approved for the treatment of chronic HCV. This poses a significant barrier to the treatment of recently acquired HCV because of...
Selected inflammatory and coagulation biomarkers pre-viral suppression in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection without overt cardiovascular disease: Is there a need to redefine reference indices?
Background Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is prevalent in Africa and causes morbidity and mortality despite antiretroviral therapy (ART). Non-communicable complications of HIV infection include cardiovascular disease (CVD) with thromboses throughout the vascular tree....
Comparison of clinical manifestations in mpox patients living with HIV versus without HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: Currently, many cases of mpox patients living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been reported. Immunocompromised mpox patients including those living with HIV are noted for an increased...
Nutritional status and its determinants among adolescents with HIV on anti-retroviral treatment in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Purpose This review aimed to determine what methods are used to assess nutritional status, the levels of nutritional status, determinants of undernutrition, and nutritional interventions employed for adolescents with HIV...
Metabolic syndrome among people living with HIV in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) can cause metabolic disorders such as lipodystrophy, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance, all of which are symptoms of metabolic syndrome (MetS)....
Contribution of low CD4 cell counts and high HIV viral load to the efficacy of preferred first-line antiretroviral regimens for treating HIV infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis
We assessed whether low CD4 count and high viral load (VL) affect the response to currently preferred ART. We performed a systematic review of randomized, controlled clinical trials that analyzed...
