Screening for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Hepatitis B, High Blood Pressure, and Diabetes Mellitus in the General Population of South Kivu—Results of World AIDS Day 2016

Abstract

Background: It has been well-established that a program to fight HIV can accomplish the same results with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Such a strategy has not yet been the subject of a trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of HIV concurrent and respectively other chronic infectious and NCDs in the general population of South Kivu. Methods: Between 1 December 2016 and 15 January 2017, HIV, hepatitis B, high blood pressure (HBP) and diabetes mellitus (DM) were tested in the general adult population ≥ 15 years, respectively, in the towns of Bukavu and Uvira, and the rural areas Nyangezi and Walungu, on World AIDS Day 2016. Previous screening of these diseases has been sought, but the association between them was modeled in a multiple logistic regression. Results: Among the three thousand eight hundred and sixty-three (3863) adult subjects > 15 years (52.1% of men) tested voluntarily, the previous screening and prevalence were 33.8% and 1.2% respectively for HIV, 1.3% and 8.3% for hepatitis B, 18.2% and 25.1% for HBP and 9.5% and 4.8% for DM. The acceptance rate for current screening was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) for HIV (97.5%) than for HBP (84.6%) as well as DM (64.6%). Finally, age ≥ 60 years (adjusted OR = 1.74; p = 0.01), HBP (adjusted OR = 1.82; p = 0.004) and above all HIV (adjusted OR = 3.94; p = 0.008) showed an independent effect on the likelihood of DM. Conclusion: This study did more HIV testing than screens for other diseases. Finally, these problems can be managed (at a reasonable cost) with a view similar to the objectives of the World Health Organization (WHO).