Original Research

Predictors of impaired pulmonary function in people living with HIV in an urban African setting

Sarah E. van Riel, Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch, Roos E. Barth, Diederick E. Grobbee, Charles Feldman, Erica Shaddock, Sarah L. Stacey, Willem D. F. Venter, Alinda G. Vos
Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine | Vol 22, No 1 | a1252 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhivmed.v22i1.1252 | © 2021 Alinda G Vos, Sarah van Riel, Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch, Roos Barth, Diederick Grobbee, Charles Feldman, Erica Shaddock, Sarah Stacey, WD Francois Venter | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 03 May 2021 | Published: 17 August 2021

About the author(s)

Sarah E. van Riel, Julius Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch, Julius Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; and, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Roos E. Barth, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Diederick E. Grobbee, Julius Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Charles Feldman, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Erica Shaddock, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, Division of Pulmonology, Department of Internal Medicine, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
Sarah L. Stacey, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Willem D. F. Venter, Ezintsha, Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Alinda G. Vos, Julius Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; and, Ezintsha, Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

Background: Studies have associated HIV with an increased risk of obstructive lung disease (OLD).

Objectives: We aimed to identify the predictive factors for impaired lung function in an urban, African, HIV-positive population.

Method: A cross-sectional study was performed in Johannesburg, South Africa, from July 2016 to November 2017. A questionnaire was administered and pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry conducted. The predictors investigated included age, sex, antiretroviral treatment (ART) duration, body mass index, history of tuberculosis (TB) or pneumonia, occupational exposure, environmental exposure, smoking and symptoms of OLD (cough, wheeze, mucus and dyspnoea). Impaired lung function was defined as a forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio of < 0.70, or below the 20th percentile of normal.

Results: The 98 ART-naïve participants (mean age = 34.0, standard deviation [s.d.] = 8.2), 85 participants on first-line ART (mean age = 36.9, s.d. = 6.6) and 189 participants on second-line ART (mean age = 43.5, s.d. = 7.9) were predominantly female (65.6%). Of the participants, 64 (17.2%) had impaired lung function and 308 had normal lung function. Linear regression identified age (β = –0.003, P < 0.01), male sex (β = –0.016, P = 0.03) and history of TB or pneumonia (β = –0.024, P < 0.01) as independent predictors of a lower FEV1/FVC ratio. Following logistic regression, only a history of TB or pneumonia (odds ratio = 2.58, 95% confidence interval = 1.47–4.52) was significantly related to impaired lung function (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.64).

Conclusion: Our data show that a history of TB or pneumonia predicts impaired lung function. In order to improve timely access to spirometry, clinicians should be alert to the possibility of impaired lung function in people with a history of TB or pneumonia.


Keywords

obstructive lung disease; COPD; asthma; HIV; sub-Saharan Africa; predictors

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Crossref Citations

1. Abnormal spirometric patterns and respiratory symptoms in HIV patients with no recent pulmonary infection in a periurban hospital in Ghana
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doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273063