Background: The study was conducted to assess the demographic and social factors associated with HIV discordance among HIV- infected couples. Discordance has always been a bane in the efforts to stop the spread of HIV within the population as it creates a gap through which re- infection occurs. Knowing the demographics associated with discordance will help in the fight against HIV by opening a window of effective disruption of the HIV transmission chain.
Methods: A total of 158 couples and 317 individuals were recruited for the survey using a stratified sampling technique. These respondents accessed treatment at 9 HIV treatment centers in 9 Local Government Areas of the 23 Local Government Areas of Kaduna State. A detailed closed- ended questionnaire was administered to them to collect their demographic and social information. Blood test was also carried out to confirm their HIV status.
Discussion: The results obtained in the study showed that majority 161(50.8%) of the respondents had secondary education while the least 29(9.1%) of them had tertiary education. Most of them 135(42.6%) knew their HIV status by voluntary testing, and most respondents 255(71%) were Christians while only 92(29%) were Muslims. The results also showed that more women 105(66.04%) were HIV positive, and the HIV discordance prevalence for Kaduna State was 0.2%. Social factors such as religion, education, employment, unprotected sex, extramarital affairs, body marks/tattoo, surgery/operation, tribal marks and blood transfusion had no effect on HIV discordance, with p- value ˃ 0.05. Other social factors such as remarriage, use of Antiretroviral therapy (ART), pre- marital sex, male/female circumcision and polygamy were found to have effect on HIV discordance, with p- value ˂ 0.05. There is need to draw the attention of HIV- infected couples to these facts to enable us succeed in the global war against the spread of HIV AIDS.