National Burden of Intestinal Parasites and Its Determinants Among People Living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract Background: Intestinal parasites are a group of opportunistic gastrointestinal diseases commonly encountered among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Intestinal parasites increased the risk of morbidity and mortality among these vulnerable populations. Therefore, to design appropriate prevention strategies, up-to-date information concerning prevalence of intestinal parasite is crucial. However, studies assessing the prevalence and associated factors of intestinal parasite in Ethiopia are inconsistent and widely varied. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis is designed to assess the pooled prevalence and determine risk factors.Methods: International databases; PubMed, Web of Science,Cochrane Library, Scopus, PsycINFO, African Journals Online, and Google Scholar were systematically searched. A funnel plot and Egger’s regression test were used to determine publication bias. The I2 statistic was used to check heterogeneity between the studies. DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model was applied to estimate the pooled effect size. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were conducted. Sensitivity analysis was done to see the effect of a single study on the overall estimation. STATA version 14 statistical software was used for meta-analysis.Results: A total of 27 studies with 8,946 individuals were used to estimate the pooled prevalence of intestinal parasitosis among people living with HIV.The estimated pooled prevalence of intestinal parasitosis was 40.24% (95% CI: 33.8–46.6). Subgroup analysis of this study revealed that the highest prevalence was observed in Tigray region 45.7% (95% CI: 7.9­-83.5), followed by Oromia region 42.2% (95% CI: 28.8–55.6). Availability of latrine (OR: 26.6, 95%CI: 2.8-15.8), presence of animal (OR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.2-5.8) and source of drinking water (OR: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.3-7.5) were significantly associated with intestinal parasitosis.Conclusion: The prevalence of intestinal parasite was high in Ethiopia. There should be a need to work for improving the hygienic standard on quality of drinking water and regular utilization of latrine among people living with HIV/AIDS.