Hypertension Among Hiv/Aids Patients On Highly Active Antiretroviral Drugs At Ridge Regional Hospital

ABSTRACT Background With improved survival after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), non-AIDS-related morbidity and mortality have come to the forefront in the management ofHIV patients. HAART has been linked to the development of several risk factors for cardiovascular disease including insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia, but its mfluence on hypertensIon requires further study. The general objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypertension among HIV patients on hIghly active antiretroviral therapy. ,lethod: The study extracted electronic data stored on HIV/AIDS patients (262) in the DHIMNS-2 from the Ridge Hospital data base from the period 2010 to 2015. Data were .lIlalysed uSIng appropriate analytical tools. The proportion of mY/AIDS patients that developed hypertensIon while on antiretroviral was analysed using descriptive statistics. The FIsher's exact test was done to come out with the results (exact=0.678) for relationship between the mv type and hypertension because the table had figures less than 5. The assocIatIon between the class of antiretroviral and hypertension was also analysed using 1""'';IICS regressIOn with a significant level of 0.05 I{t'SlIlh: The resulls showed that 63 patients out of the total 262 sample of mY/AIDS patIents who were on antiretroviral drugs from 2010 to 2015 at the Ridge Regional Hospital became hypertensive while on the antiretroviral drugs during that period. The females had a greater percentage of hypertensives whiles on the antiretroviral treatment than the males in the study, (62~o and 38%) respectively. Jll(' Illlddle adult age category (31-45) had the highest proportIon of patients being hvpertenslves thus 33 patients (52%). This was followed by the adult age category (41-60) mth 23 patIents (37%) and then the young adult's age category (18-35) which had 7 patient