Determinants of Late HIV Presentation at Ndlavela Health Center in Mozambique

BACKGROUND: There has been tremendous progress in the fight against HIV worldwide; however, challenges persist in the control of HIV infection. These challenges include the high prevalence of late presenters. There are many disadvantages of late presentation-from reduced survival of the infected person to the risk of transmitting the infection. This research aims to analyze the factors that influence the late presentation in patients attending Ndlavela Health Center in Mozambique. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out at Ndlavela Health Center including patients diagnosed with HIV between 2015 and 2020. The European Late Presenter Consensus working group definitions were used, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with late presentation. RESULTS: In total, 519 participants were included in the study, of which nearly 47% were classified as late presenters. The male gender (AOR = 2.41), clinical suspicious test (AOR = 4.03), initiated by the health professional (AOR = 2.1,9), and fear of stigma (AOR = 2.80) were the main risk factors for late HIV presentation. CONCLUSION: Factors that are potentially determinant for late HIV presentation were identified. Actions are needed to focus on risk factors that are most likely to delay presentation.