Abstract:
Background
Human immune virus and acquired immune deficiency disease (HIV/AIDS) is the worst
global pandemic that a human being ever faced. Prevention is a main strategy for tackling the
global burden that HIV/AIDS poses. Hence identifying serodiscordant couples and
implementing preventing strategies will protect the negative partner and also will have an
impact on national and also global HIV/AIDS pandemic prevalence. The burden of
serodiscordance and its predictors in Ethiopia is concealed behind statistics.
Objective
This study is designed to assess the prevalence and predictors of HIV sereodiscordance
among couples tested in Jimma University Specialized Hospital voluntary counseling and
testing center since 2003.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted at VCT center of Jimma University specialized
Hospital from October 1, 2010– October 25, 2010.on all 199 registered sereodiscordant
couples and 199 seroconcordants which were selected from 658 seroconcordants with simple
random sampling technique registered in the period of 2003-2010. A pre tested structured
check list was used for data collection. Data was collected by four trained physicians and
information needed to know the prevalence and predictors of serodiscordant was obtained by
careful review of chart. The collected data was entered in SPSS of windows version 16 and
was analyzed to valuable information based on the set of variables.
Result
The prevalence of serodiscordance in the study population was found to be 8.3%. Among
which male discordant accounted for 5.7 %( 137) and female discordant accounted for 2.6%
(62). The mean age of discordant was found to be31.9 years (SD=8.5 years) and that of
concordant was found to be 31years (SD=8.1years).Persistent generalized lymphadenopathy
(AOR= 3.2; 95% CI= 0.85-11.7) and active tuberculosis at enrollment (AOR= 17.7; 95%
CI= 2.3-139.2) were found to be predictors of serodiscordance.
Conclusion
The prevalence of serodisordance in the study area was found to be low but it contributes to
clinically significant population which mandates implementation of preventive strategy. HIV
positive couple’s with persistent generalized lymphadenopathy and active tuberculosis are
more likely to have negative partner hence seropositive individuals with consistent finding
with PGL should be encouraged to have their partners screened. The fact that active infection
is permissive to HIV transmission is against the association between active tuberculosis and
serodiscordance in this study which underscores the need for further study to ascertain this
association.
