The association between HIV-related stigma, HIV knowledge and HIV late presenters among people living with HIV (PLHIV) attending public primary care clinic settings in Selangor

• Published in: PloS one 2024-07, Vol.19 (7), p.e0306904
• Main Authors: Bin Ahmad, Mohd Zulfikry, Md Yasin, Mazapuspavina, Mat Nasir, Nafiza, Mohamad, Mariam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; AIDS; Analysis; Biology and Life Sciences; Care and treatment; CD4 antigen; Clinics; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data collection; Discrimination against AIDS virus carriers; Education; Female; Health aspects; Health care; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; HIV; HIV (Viruses); HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - psychology; HIV patients; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Infections; Knowledge; Malaysia - epidemiology; Male; Medical diagnosis; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Morbidity; People and Places; Population; Primary care; Primary Health Care; Progress reports; Public health; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Response rates; Risk factors; Sample size; Social Stigma; Sociodemographics; Stigma; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306904

HIV late presenters were defined as individuals presenting with a CD4 count below 350 cells/μL or with an AIDS-defining event, according to the European Late Presenter Consensus working group. Early diagnosis and treatment of HIV have proven beneficial for people living with HIV (PLHIV), reducing the burden on healthcare systems, and contributing to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic. However, in Malaysia, over 50% of newly diagnosed HIV patients present late, leading to increased morbidity and premature mortality. This study aims to determine the prevalence of late HIV presenters and its association with HIV-related stigma and HIV knowledge among PLHIV attending public primary care clinics in Selangor. A cross-sectional study was conducted at selected public health clinics in Selangor, involving PLHIV aged 18 years and older, who were diagnosed since 2019. HIV-related stigma was measured using the Malay version of Berger's HIV Stigma Scale, and HIV knowledge was assessed using the Malay version of Brief HIV-KQ-18. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with late HIV presentation. A total of 400 participants were included in the study, with 60.0% (n = 240, 95% CI: 55.0-65.0) classified as late presenters. The participants had a mean age of 30.29 (±7.77) years. The risk factors for late presenters were high levels of HIV-related stigma (aOR = 1.049, 95% CI: 1.034-1.063, p-value