Coverage of HIV Chronic Co-Morbidities among Adults in South Africa: A Population-Based Study

Motlatso Rampedi-Godongwana, Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit (RMPRU); University of the Witwatersrand
Nicole De Wet- Billings, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

People living with HIV (PLHIV) are at an increased risk of developing additional chronic conditions globally. This study determines the levels and types of chronic comorbidities developed by economically active adults (18 – 65 years old) diagnosed with HIV in South Africa. A retrospective analysis of longitudinal data from the National Income Dynamics Surveys (NIDS) is conducted. The data comprises of five waves between 2008 and 2017. Preliminary descriptive results show that 10.4% of the adult population were HIV positive. This increased to 16% Wave 3; 20.8% Wave 4 and 42.4% at Wave 5. Common chronic comorbidities for PLHIV at each of these waves were high blood pressure and asthma. The prevalence of high blood pressure among PLHIV was highest (16.3%) at wave 3. Preventing high blood pressure among PLHIV is a public health concern because it is risk factor for several other chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke.