Impact of Antiretroviral Therapy on AIDS-Related Mortality in Nigeria: A Longitudinal Study (2010-2023)

Title

Impact of Antiretroviral Therapy on AIDS-Related Mortality in Nigeria: A Longitudinal Study (2010-2023)

Author

1. uthman Al-ameen, Scientist, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: AIDS-related death continues to be a significant public health challenge in Nigeria. The availability of Antiretroviral Therapy has altered the prevalence of HIV/AIDS from a fatal disease to a manageable disease all over the world. This research examines the effect of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) coverage on AIDS-related death in Nigeria for the year 2010-2023. The study aimed to assess the correlation between ART coverage and AIDS-related death in Nigeria.

Methods: This research employs the secondary data analysis research method. ART coverage and AIDS-related death statistics from the year 2010 to 2023 were obtained from UNAIDS

Results: The calculated correlation between ART coverage and AIDS-related death in Nigeria was statistically significant and negative, with Pearson correlation coefficient r = - 0.976. This shows that, with improving ART coverage, AIDS-related death is reduced.

This study established a perfect negative relationship between ART coverage and AIDS-related death in Nigeria for the years 2010-2023 with a Pearson correlation coefficient (r) of (-0.976).

Conclusion: The results of this study point to the fact that ART is helpful in the reduction of AIDS-related deaths in Nigeria. HIV treatment using ART must continue to increase through enhanced health systems to ensure better delivery of services and through targeted interventions that will further reduce AIDS-related deaths and improve the overall health of the population.

Keywords

Conclusion

This study establishes the life-saving influence that ART has had in decreasing AIDS-related mortality across Nigeria between the years 2010 and 2023. The negative coefficient (r = -0.976, p < 0.001) confirms that AIDS-related deaths have decreased while ART coverage has improved. During the study period, there was a gradual increase in the availability of ART, which was proven to have significantly reduced causes of death as a result of HIV/AIDS.

This process works by boosting immunity, decreasing the viral load, and preventing the onset of other infections, which in turn would increase the life span and quality of life of people who are infected with HIV. All these benefits make ART an important tool in patient management and in the control of the epidemic. However, the author is aware of other interfering factors that could also lead to a decline in mortality such as an increase in the overall healthcare services offered, better diagnostic methods, and other improvements within the health system that may affect mortality.

The policy implications are clear. Consequently, continued efforts to scale up treatment with ART are crucial. This includes addressing issues such as inadequate funding, lack of access to healthcare, especially in rural areas, and stigma-related issues. The following steps should be the combination of ART delivery with primary healthcare and focusing on the patients who are at risk of being left behind. Future studies should focus on understanding the role of socioeconomic factors and other predictors, which will aid in developing more effective ART interventions, thereby enhancing the impact of ART programs in Nigeria.

The limitation of this study is that it provides Nigeria-specific results, and therefore, may not be generalizable to other countries with different health systems or epidemic patterns.

The study recommends that the government and stakeholders provide ART and make it more accessible to the people, especially in rural areas, and that ART services be incorporated into primary healthcare.

Author Contrubution

The author was solely responsible for all aspects of this work, including conceptualization, data collection, analysis, and manuscript preparation

Funding

This Research was self Funded

Conflict of Interest

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest

Data Sharing Statement

The data used in this study were obtained from UNAIDS, as detailed in the manuscript. For further information on data access, please refer to UNAIDS at [https://aidsinfo.unaids.org/].

Software And Tools Use

The data analysis for this study was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version (27.0)

Acknowledgements

The author would like to express gratitude to the UNAIDS organization for providing the data set used for the study.