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Hyperlactatemia and concurrent use of antiretroviral therapy among HIV infected patients in Uganda


M Waiswa
BB Byarugaba
P Ocama
H Mayanja-Kizza
E Seremba
S Ganguli
M Crowther
R Colebunders

Abstract

Background: We determined the prevalence and factors associated with hyperlactatemia among HIV patients admitted on the emergency ward of a national hospital in Uganda.
Objective: We were specifically interested in knowing whether there was an association between clinically significant hyperlactatemia and concurrent antiretroviral therapy (ART) use.
Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study enrolled 303 HIV infected patients at a national referral hospital between March and April 2008. We consecutively recruited all eligible HIV infected patients above 18 years admitted on the emergency ward. Data were collected on socio-demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics. Lactate levels were measured using the Accutrend® portable lactate analyser. Data analysis was performed using Stata 10.0; P-value of < 0.05 was considered to be
significant.
Results: Three hundred and three HIV infected patients were recruited. Prevalence of hyperlactatemia (lactate >2.5mmol/L) was 252 (83.2%). Clinically significant hyperlactatemia (lactate >4mmol/L) was present in 105/303(34.6%) patients. There was no association between use of ART and clinically significant hyperlactatemia. In the multivariate analysis, body
weakness 1.91 (1.09-3.35), skin rash 3.18 (1.11-9.10) and tachypnoea 1.04 (1.01-1.07) were independently associated with clinically significant hyperlactatemia.
Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of clinically significant hyperlactatemia among HIV infected patients but it was not associated with concurrent antiretroviral use.

Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 1729-0503
print ISSN: 1680-6905