Background: Individuals living with HIV are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. This heightened vulnerability is influenced by various factors, including the direct impact of HIV infection, the side effects of HIV medications, and a higher presence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Detecting and managing cardiovascular diseases early in HIV-infected individuals is crucial for their overall health and well-being. Electrocardiography, a simple and non-invasive test, can provide valuable information in this regard. However, there is currently no published data on the prevalence of electrocardiographic abnormalities and the associated factors among HIV-infected adults in Ethiopia.

Objectives: This study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of ECG abnormalities and associated factors among HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy.

Methodology: A hospital-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at Mettu Karl Specialized Hospital (MKSH), southwest Ethiopia, among 96 HIV-infected patients and 96 HIV-negative control groups. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select HIV-infected respondents, and HIV-negative respondents were purposively recruited from caregivers. A face-to-face interview with a semi-structured and pretested questionnaire was conducted to collect the socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of the study participants. Electrocardiography was done for all study participants using a 12-lead electrocardiograph, interpreted by a cardiologist, and classified according to the Minnesota Code classification system. The data were entered into Epi-Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Finally, descriptive statistics, chi-square, independent t-test, bivariable, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done at a 5% significance level.

Results: The study found that 49% of HIV-infected and 19.8% of HIV-negative participants had at least one ECG abnormality. The proportion of coded ST-segment abnormalities, T-wave abnormalities, longer QT interval, and sinus tachycardia was significantly higher in HIV-infected respondents than in HIV-negatives. Being a smoker [AOR = 3.7, 95%CI: 1.03-13.6], being on Protease inhibitors [AOR = 3.6, 95%CI: 1.02-13.1] and having CD4 less than 350 cells/mm³ [AOR = 3.2, 95%CI: 1.22-8.49] were significantly associated with ECG abnormalities among HIV-infected respondents.

Conclusion: Compared to HIV-negative participants, HIV-infected patients had a significantly higher prevalence of ECG abnormalities. Screening for ECG abnormalities is needed for the early detection of cardiac abnormalities and the reduction of future complications.

Keywords: ECG abnormalities; Ethiopia; HIV-infection; Mettu; cardiovascular diseases.

© 2024 Befkadu, Ibrahim, Tadelle and Tegene.

背景： 感染HIV的个人患心血管疾病的风险增加。这种较高的脆弱性受多种因素影响，包括HIV感染的直接影响、抗逆转录病毒药物的副作用以及传统的心血管风险因素更为普遍。在感染HIV的人群中早期检测和管理心血管疾病对其整体健康和福祉至关重要。心电图是一种简单且非侵入性的测试，可以为此提供有价值的信息。然而，目前还没有关于埃塞俄比亚感染HIV成人中心电图异常及其相关因素的已发表数据。

目的： 本研究旨在评估接受抗逆转录病毒治疗的感染HIV成年人中心电图异常及相关的因素。

方法学： 在埃塞俄比亚西南部Mettu Karl专科医院（MKSH）进行了一项基于医院的比较横断面研究，共包括96名感染HIV患者和96名未感染HIV对照组。采用系统随机抽样技术选择感染HIV的参与者，并通过目的性招募从看护者中选取未感染HIV的参与人员。使用半结构化并经过预测试的问卷面对面地收集研究对象的社会人口学特征及行为特点信息。对所有研究参与者进行12导联心电图检查，由心脏病专家解读并根据明尼苏达编码分类系统进行分类。数据通过Epi-Data 4.6版本录入，并导入SPSS 25版进行分析。最后，在5%的显著性水平下进行了描述性统计、卡方检验、独立t检验、双变量和多变量逻辑回归分析。

结果： 研究发现，49%的感染HIV参与者和19.8%未感染HIV参与者至少存在一项心电图异常。编码ST段异常、T波异常、较长QT间期及窦性心动过速的比例在感染HIV的受访者中显著高于未感染者。吸烟[AOR = 3.7, 95%CI: 1.03-13.6]，使用蛋白酶抑制剂[AOR = 3.6, 95%CI: 1.02-13.1]及CD4细胞数小于350 cells/mm³[AOR = 3.2, 95%CI: 1.22-8.49]与感染HIV的参与者的心电图异常显著相关。

结论： 相较于未感染HIV的参与者，感染HIV患者中心电图异常的发生率显著更高。筛查心电图异常对于早期发现心脏异常及减少未来并发症是必要的。

关键词： 心电图异常；埃塞俄比亚；HIV感染；Mettu；心血管疾病。