Category Archives: Epidemiology and Determinants of Health
A systematic review of sarcopenia prevalence and associated factors in people living with human immunodeficiency virus
People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) appear to be at an increased risk of sarcopenia, which can have a devastating effect on their life due to consequences such...
Association of hospitalization rate, mortality, and CD4 T cell count with comorbidity of COVID-19 and HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Epidemiological data demonstrate the greater severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in HIV patients along with the more hospitalization, and mortality rates. Thus, this meta-analysis aimed to assess the possible differences in...
Uncovering the NAFLD burden in people living with HIV from high- and middle-income nations: A meta-analysis with a data gap from Subsaharan Africa
INTRODUCTION: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a significant concern among people living with HIV (PLHIV), albeit its burden remains unclear. The primary objective of this systematic review (SR)...
Identity management in the face of HIV and intersecting stigmas: A metasynthesis of qualitative reports from sub-Saharan Africa
While stigma experienced by people living with HIV (PLWH) is well documented, intersectional stigma and additional stigmatized identities have not received similar attention. The purpose of this metasynthesis is to...
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...
Health inequalities in infectious diseases: A systematic overview of reviews
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic overview of reviews was to synthesise available evidence on inequalities in infectious disease based on three dimensions of inequalities; inclusion health groups, protected characteristics...
Neurocognitive impairment and associated factors among people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis of African studies
BACKGROUND: Neurocognitive impairment (NCI) is one of the most common neurological complications in HIV-positive individuals, particularly in resource-limited countries. Neurocognitive impairments can occur at any stage of HIV infection, although...
A systematic review of the association between smoking exposure and HPV-related cervical cell abnormality among women living with HIV: Implications for prevention strategies
This study aims to evaluate the association between smoking exposure and human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cervical abnormalities among women living with HIV (WLWH). By conducting a systematic review of the current...
Epidemiology of injecting drug use, prevalence of injecting-related harm, and exposure to behavioural and environmental risks among people who inject drugs: A systematic review
Background People who inject drugs are exposed to various and changing risk environments and are at risk of multiple harms related to injecting drug use (IDU). We aimed to undertake...
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....
