Prevalence and incidence of non-communicable diseases among older adults living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in Northern Haiti: A retrospective cohort study
7 affiliations
- 1U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- 2Catholic Medical Mission Board, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- 3Unité de Gestion de Projets, Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- 4Hôpital Universitaire Justinien, Cap Haïtien, Haiti
- 5Hôpital Sacré-Cœur de Milot, Cap Haïtien, Haiti
- 6Programme National de Lutte contre les IST/VIH/SIDA, Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- 7U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
Abstract
The growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among aging people living with HIV (PLHIV) represents a major public health challenge, yet data to guide integrated care in Haiti remain limited. To address this gap, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of PLHIV aged 40 years and older receiving care at two hospitals in northern Haiti. Using electronic medical record data from routine HIV clinical visits between July 1 and September 30, 2015, we compared NCD prevalence at ART initiation and after ≥12 months of follow-up. We also identified baseline risk factors associated with incident NCDs, with a secondary analysis focused specifically on predictors of incident renal insufficiency. Among 318 participants, 65.7% had one or more NCD at ART initiation, increasing to 70.8% after ≥12 months. The prevalence of hypertension rose from 37.1% to 47.2% and diabetes from 7.9% to 12.6%, while overweight/obesity remained stable (14.5% to 15.7%). In contrast, renal insufficiency prevalence decreased from 31.1% to 22.6%. In the adjusted analysis, female sex was the sole independent predictor for developing at least one incident NCD (AOR: 3.29; 95% CI: 1.40–7.72). In the secondary analysis for incident renal insufficiency, female sex (AOR: 5.88; 95% CI: 1.78–19.50) and elevated systolic blood pressure (AOR: 1.052; 95% CI: 1.005–1.101) were the only significant predictors. A high proportion of older PLHIV in northern Haiti are affected by NCDs. These findings underscore the need for integrated care models, particularly for older women living with HIV, who appear to be at the highest risk for developing new NCDs.
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BibTeX
@article{thiersaint2026prevalence,
title = {{Prevalence and incidence of non-communicable diseases among older adults living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in Northern Haiti: A retrospective cohort study}},
author = {Ronald Thiersaint and Romaine Nephtalie Mésidor and Valérie Pelletier and Chesnel Parny Norcéide and Jean Géto Dubé and Harold Prévil and Kesner François and Jean Baptiste T. Koama and Michael A. Melchior and Macarthur Charles},
journal = {PLOS Global Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pgph.0007175},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0007175},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prevalence and incidence of non-communicable diseases among older adults living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in Northern Haiti: A retrospective cohort study
AU - Ronald Thiersaint
AU - Romaine Nephtalie Mésidor
AU - Valérie Pelletier
AU - Chesnel Parny Norcéide
AU - Jean Géto Dubé
AU - Harold Prévil
AU - Kesner François
AU - Jean Baptiste T. Koama
AU - Michael A. Melchior
AU - Macarthur Charles
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - PLOS Global Public Health
DO - 10.1371/journal.pgph.0007175
UR - https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0007175
AB - The growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among aging people living with HIV (PLHIV) represents a major public health challenge, yet data to guide integrated care in Haiti remain limited. To address this gap, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of PLHIV aged 40 years and older receiving care at two hospitals in northern Haiti. Using electronic medical record data from routine HIV clinical visits between July 1 and September 30, 2015, we compared NCD prevalence at ART initiation and after ≥12 months of follow-up. We also identified baseline risk factors associated with incident NCDs, with a secondary analysis focused specifically on predictors of incident renal insufficiency. Among 318 participants, 65.7% had one or more NCD at ART initiation, increasing to 70.8% after ≥12 months. The prevalence of hypertension rose from 37.1% to 47.2% and diabetes from 7.9% to 12.6%, while overweight/obesity remained stable (14.5% to 15.7%). In contrast, renal insufficiency prevalence decreased from 31.1% to 22.6%. In the adjusted analysis, female sex was the sole independent predictor for developing at least one incident NCD (AOR: 3.29; 95% CI: 1.40–7.72). In the secondary analysis for incident renal insufficiency, female sex (AOR: 5.88; 95% CI: 1.78–19.50) and elevated systolic blood pressure (AOR: 1.052; 95% CI: 1.005–1.101) were the only significant predictors. A high proportion of older PLHIV in northern Haiti are affected by NCDs. These findings underscore the need for integrated care models, particularly for older women living with HIV, who appear to be at the highest risk for developing new NCDs.
SN - 2767-3375
ER -