Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Limited evidence informs on the prevalence of chronic kidney
disease (CKD) in people living with HIV (PLWH) in South Africa. Thus, this study
aimed to determine the prevalence of CKD and its associated risk factors among
PLWH within the rural province of Limpopo, South Africa.
METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 143 participants, subdivided
into groups of PLWH (n = 103) and individuals without HIV (n = 43). Structured
questionnaires were used to collect and capture sociodemographic information
including age, sex, alcohol intake, smoking status, and educational status. Basic
measurements taken included levels of cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4+)
count, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, plasma cystatin C, and fasting
serum glucose levels. Plasma cystatin C-based estimated glomerular filtration
rate (eGFR) was calculated using the chronic kidney disease epidemiology
collaboration (CKD-EPI) estimator to determine the prevalence of CKD.
RESULTS: The prevalence of CKD was approximately 7% in PLWH. Multivariate logistic
regression analysis showed that it was only diabetes mellitus (odds ratio of 5.795,
95% confidence interval, p = 0.034) and age (odds ratio of 1.078, 95% confidence
interval, p = 0.039) that were significantly associated with CKD in PLWH.
CONCLUSION: Chronic kidney disease was prevalent in PLWH, and it was further
associated with cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes, and ageing. As PLWH age,
the burden of CKD may be increased with the increase in cardiovascular-related
comorbidities such as diabetes.
