Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal (Jan 2012)
Incidence of hepatotoxicity of highly active Antiretroviral Therapy in a Tertiary Health Centre in Nigeria.
Abstract
Aims and objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of hepatotoxicity of HAART in HIV infected patients in a tertiary health centre in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out on HIV patients on HAART attending infectious disease clinic, gastroenterology clinic or admitted into the medical wards of University of Benin Teaching Hospital. HAART-naive HIV patients were used as controls. A clinical evaluation and relevant laboratory investigations were done. Hepatotoxicity was defined using a standardised toxicity grade scale. Results: A total of 84 cases and 42 controls were studied. The mean ages were 35.2± 9.9years and 35.5±9.0 years for the cases and the controls respectively. Over 70% of the study population and controls were females. The overall incidence of hepatotoxicity was 17.9% and severe hepatotoxicity occurred in 10.7% of the patients. Alcohol use and being underweight were independent risk factors for hepatotoxicity. Conclusion: This prospective study clearly shows that there was appreciable hepatotoxicity associated with HAART in the study patients as found in other parts of the world. There is a need for regular monitoring of liver function in these patients because of the risk of hepatotoxicity.
