Anticoagulation control among patients on vitamin K antagonists in nine countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Vitamin K antagonists (VKA) is the primary anticoagulant in most settings of Sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the quality of anticoagulation services in the continent is vital in optimising the intended benefits. This study assessed the quality of anticoagulation and associated factors among VKA-treated patients in nine SSA countries. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of randomly selected patients on anticoagulation from 20 clinics in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Africa. Eligible participants were those on VKAs for at least three months and with at least four international normalised ratios (INR) results in 2019-2021. We report the proportion of INR values in the therapeutic range, time-in-therapeutic range (TTR) using the Rosendaal method, and the proportion of patients with TTR ≥ 65% (optimal anticoagulation). The mean age was 51.1(16.1) years, and 64.2% were women. The most common indications for VKA included venous thromboembolism (29.6%), prosthetic valves (26.7%) and atrial fibrillation/flutter (30.1%). We analysed 6743 INR tests from 1011 participants, and of these, 48.5% were sub-therapeutic, 34.1% therapeutic, and 17.4% were supratherapeutic relative to disease-specific reference ranges. TTR was calculated for 660 patients using 4927 INR measurements. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) TTR was 35.8(15.9,57.2) %. Optimal anticoagulation control was evident in 19.2% of participants, varying from 2.7% in Tanzania to 23.1% in Ethiopia. The proportion of patients with TTR ≥ 65% was 15,4% for prosthetic heart valves, 21.1% for venous thromboembolism and 23.7% for atrial fibrillation or flutter. Countries with universal health coverage had higher odds of optimal anticoagulation control (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15- 2.81, p = 0.01). Patients on VKAs for different therapeutic indications in SSA had suboptimal TTR. Universal health coverage increased the odds of achieving TTR by 79%. The evidence calls for more intensive warfarin management strategies in SSA, including providing VKA services without out-of-pocket payments.

Cervical cancer screening in women living with HIV attending primary care clinics in a health district, South Africa: a descriptive cross-sectional study.

Introduction: globally, cervical cancer remains a public health problem. It is ranked the fourth most common cause of women's cancer. In South Africa, it was the second most common cancer diagnosed in 2012. The disease progresses rapidly in women living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), due to immune suppression. The purpose was to evaluate cervical cancer screening in HIV-positive women attending primary health care (PHC) clinics in Ekurhuleni Health District (EHD), South Africa. Aim and Objectives: the study aim was to evaluate cervical cancer screening in HIV-positive women attending PHC clinics for routine care in Ekurhuleni Health District, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Objectives were to describe the cervical cancer screening uptake of HIV-positive women on antiretroviral therapy (ART) who remained in care and were screened, determine the length of time or period from starting ART to the first cervical cancer screening, and describe associations among screening, age, and the period from starting ART. Methods: this was a retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study design. A review of clinic records was conducted on women living with HIV and on antiretroviral therapy for at least four years. The study period was from March to September 2020. After a clustered randomization of clinics, 550 records were systematically selected. Stata version 16.1 was used for analysis. Results: the median age was 34, ranged 23-68, with the interquartile range (IQR) of 29-42 years. Nearly a third (32.9%, n= 181) had cervical cancer screening documented. Those with both an ART start date and first screening were 83% (n= 151). The median for ART duration was 5 years and ranged from 4-8 years. The median time to first screening was 43 weeks with an IQR of 16-67 weeks. Women aged 35-44 years or above 45 were more likely to be screened (AOR 3.2, CI: 1.0-9.8, p= 0.05) and (AOR 5.3, CI: 1.7-16.9, p= 0.01), respectively. Conclusion: there was suboptimal uptake and delay in initiating screening in women living with HIV. Nevertheless, the older women were, more likely to be screened. This study suggests poor adherence to policy and highlights the need for accelerated staff training on cervical cancer policy.

Tobacco use among a population of women attending cervical cancer screening programs in primary health care clinics in South Africa: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: we determined the prevalence, patterns and factors associated with tobacco use among women presenting for cervical cancer screening in primary health care clinics in Gauteng province, South Africa. Methods: this study utilized data from an ongoing cross-sectional study commenced in September 2018, in which 749 participants had responded to an interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire on socio-demographics, HIV status, tobacco use, family planning methods, sexual and cervical cancer screening behaviours. Data were entered into the web-based research electronic data capture (REDCap). We performed descriptive data analysis and included multivariate logistic regression. We considered a p-value < 0.05 statistically significant. Results: participants´ median age was 38 years (interquartile range: 31-38) with 43.9% (328) reporting being HIV-positive. The prevalence of ever and current tobacco use were 24.3% (182/749) and 17.1% (128/749) respectively. In multivariable logistic regression, participants who self-identified as racial ethnicity other than Black African and those who were HIV positive and not on antiretroviral treatment, had increased odds of reporting current tobacco use ((adjusted odds ratio (AOR)= 5.6, 95% CI: 3.2-9.8) and (AOR= 8.2, 95% CI: 2.0-34.1) respectively). Conclusion: current tobacco use is common among women attending cervical cancer screening programs in primary health care clinics in Gauteng Province. Furthermore, study findings suggest the need to integrate tobacco cessation treatments into women´s health and HIV treatment programs.