The prevalence of co-morbidities in patients on HAART referred for physiotherapy in three public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a short report
South African Journal of Physiotherapy
| Field | Value | |
| Title | The prevalence of co-morbidities in patients on HAART referred for physiotherapy in three public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a short report | |
| Creator | Mahraj, S. S. Ranjiah, P. | |
| Description | Introduction: The roll-out of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) to patients infected with the Human Immuno-deficient Virus (HIV) is presenting with co-morbidities as a result of the side effects of the drugs or the prolonged lifespan of the HIV positive individual. This poses a challenge to physiotherapists for rehabilitation which has changed from prophylaxis and management of opportunistic infections to managing the co-morbidities. The aim of this preliminary study was to determine the number of patients on HAART with co-morbidities admitted to three public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal and referred for physiotherapy.Method: This descriptive epidemiological study used a cross-sectional design to determine the prevalence of co-morbidities associated with HAART. Baseline data of patients and their demographics, AIDS status and clinical co-morbidities were recorded. The sample consisted of 78 patients with an average CD4 count of 338 cells/mm³ and a viral load of 133 copies/mL. Patients were categorised according to their HIV stages: 13 (17%) asymptomatic, 44 (56%) ‘AIDS-related complex’ and 21 (27%) had full blown AIDS.Results: Patients referred for physiotherapy presented with peripheral neuropathy 36 (46%), pulmonary tuberculosis 29 (37%), musculo-skeletal pain 17(22%), myopathies 9 (12%), pneumonia 8 (10%), enthesopathies 4 (5%), cerebral vascular accidents 2 (3%) and abdominal pain 1(1%). Conclusion: To rehabilitate the HIV infected individual successfully physiotherapists should note the side effects and co-morbidities associated with HAART. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2010-02-19 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/sajp.v66i3.245 | |
| Source | South African Journal of Physiotherapy; Vol 66, No 3 (2010); 21-24 2410-8219 0379-6175 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://sajp.co.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/245/233
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