Prevalence, patterns and predictors of opportunistic infections in adults infected with human immunodeficiency virus at Bule Hora University Teaching Hospital, South Eastern Ethiopia: A retrospective cross-sectional study

Introduction Patients with human immunodeficiency virus face high rates of morbidity and mortality due to opportunistic infections. No prior research has assessed the prevalence, patterns and predictors of opportunistic infections in patients living with human immunodeficiency virus in the West Guji zone, specifically at Bule Hora University Teaching Hospital. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence, patterns and predictors of opportunistic infections among human immune deficiency positive adults receiving antiretroviral therapy. Methodology Facility based retrospective cross sectional study was conducted from November 1–30, 2024. Data was collected using checklist which was adopted from Ethiopian federal ministry of health guideline and patient follow up registry book. During data analysis, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors for the presence of opportunistic infections. Result Of 379 assessed patients, 47.2% (95%CI 42.1–52.4) experienced opportunistic infections. The prevalent opportunistic infections were pulmonary tuberculosis (37.4%, n = 117), bacterial pneumonia (25.9%, n = 81), and chronic diarrhea (12.8%, n = 40). Lack of isoniazid preventive therapy initiation ( p  < 0.001, AOR 2.451, 95%CI 1.417–4.241), lack of cotrimoxazole preventive therapy initiation ( p  = 0.009, AOR 2.076, 95%CI 1.196–3.603), poor adherence to treatment ( p <  0.001, AOR 9.067, 95% CI 4.927–16.686) and fair adherence ( p  < 0.001, AOR 5.326, 95%CI 2.711–10.465) were significant risk factors of opportunistic infections. Conclusion and Recommendation Prevalence of common opportunistic infections were high in this study. Healthcare workers should work on timely antiretroviral therapy initiation, early prophylaxis initiation and improving patient adherence to antiretroviral therapy.