Publications by authors named "Florence Chibwana"

Article Synopsis
  • Limited data exist on heart disease among HIV patients in southern Africa, where improved life expectancy due to antiretroviral therapy (ART) intersects with high cardiovascular risk factors.
  • A study in Malawi screened 202 HIV-positive adults for heart abnormalities, finding that left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was the most common issue, while severe heart conditions were rare.
  • Older age, higher body mass index, and elevated blood pressure were linked to abnormal echocardiograms, with a focus on the need for additional research to explore the connections between hypertension, LVH, and related heart conditions.
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Background: Although evidence from high-resource settings indicates that women with HIV are at higher risk of acquiring high-risk HPV and developing cervical cancer, data from cervical cancer "screen and treat" programs using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) in lower-income countries have found mixed evidence about the association between HIV status and screening outcomes. Moreover, there is limited evidence regarding the effect of HIV-related characteristics (e.g.

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Background: Hypertension is among the most commonly diagnosed non-communicable diseases in Africa, and studies have demonstrated a high prevalence of hypertension among individuals with HIV. Despite high prevalence, there has been limited attention on the clinical outcomes of hypertension treatment in this population.

Objective: We sought to characterize rates of and factors associated with blood pressure control over one year among individuals on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and antihypertensive medications.

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Malawi has the highest incidence of and mortality rate due to cervical cancer in the world. This is largely because of inadequate screening and high rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, which greatly increases cervical cancer risk. We describe the implementation of a quality improvement program to increase use of cervical cancer screening at a non-government medical center in Lilongwe, Malawi.

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Objectives: As HIV-positive individuals' life expectancy extends, there is an urgent need to manage other chronic conditions during HIV care. We assessed the care-seeking experiences and costs of adults receiving treatment for both HIV and hypertension in Malawi.

Design, Setting And Participants: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with HIV-positive adults with hypertension at a health facility in Lilongwe that offers free HIV care and free hypertension screening, with antihypertensives available for purchase (n=199).

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Background: The focused assessment with sonography for HIV-associated tuberculosis (TB) (FASH) ultrasound protocol has been increasingly used to help clinicians diagnose TB. We sought to quantify the diagnostic utility of FASH for TB among individuals with HIV in Malawi.

Methods: Between March 2016 and August 2017, 210 adults with HIV who had 2 or more signs and symptoms that were concerning for TB (fever, cough, night sweats, weight loss) were enrolled from a public HIV clinic in Lilongwe, Malawi.

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Non-communicable diseases like hypertension are increasingly common among individuals living with HIV in low-resource settings. The prevalence of hypertension among people with HIV in Malawi, e.g.

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