Risk indicators and effects of hypertension on HIV/AIDS disease progression among patients seen at Kenyatta hospital HIV care center.

Abstract

There is paucity of data on prevalence of hypertension and its effects on HIV/AIDS progression among patients at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Kenya. This was a cross sectional study conducted between January and May 2015 at the KNH HIV Care Centre. Ethical approval was obtained from institutional ethics review board. HIV positive adult patients were recruited sequentially, and written informed consent obtained from each participant. Systematic sampling was used to select participants who were screened for blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) and lifestyle characteristics. Data on clinical parameters were extracted from patient records. A total of 297 participants (89 males and 208 females) were enrolled in the study. The participants were socially diverse in cultural beliefs, religious practices and lifestyles. Their ages ranged from 30 to 57 years, and the average age of males (M = 44.56, SD = 6.05) was higher than females (M = 42.29, SD = 6.16), p < .01. The prevalence of hypertension was found to be 23.2%. The relation between CD4 counts and creatinine was statistically significant, p < .01, as was the association between CD4 counts and BMI, p < .01. Hypertension is a highly prevalent co-morbidity in HIV patients. The risk factors include prolonged use of ART as well as increased body mass index. The effects of hypertension on HIV progression include low CD4+ T cell counts which complicate the underlying immunosuppression.