Incidence and Predictors of Hypertension Among HIV Patients Receiving ART at Public Health Facilities, Northwest Ethiopia: A One-Year Multicenter Prospective Follow-Up Study

• Main Authors: Mulugeta H, Afenigus AD, Haile D, Amha H, Kassa GM, Wubetu M, Abebaw E, Jara D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2021-09-01
• Series: HIV/AIDS : Research and Palliative Care
• Subjects: anti-retroviral therapy; hiv/aids; hypertension; ethiopia
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/incidence-and-predictors-of-hypertension-among-hiv-patients-receiving--peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-HIV

Henok Mulugeta,1 Abebe Dilie Afenigus,1 Dessalegn Haile,1 Haile Amha,1 Getachew Mullu Kassa,2 Muluken Wubetu,3 Ermias Abebaw,4 Dube Jara2 1Department of Nursing, College of Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia; 2Department of Public Health, College of Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia; 3Department of Pharmacy, College of Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia; 4Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Henok MulugetaDepartment of Nursing, College of Health Science, Debre Markos University, P.O. Box: 269, Debre Markos, EthiopiaTel [phone]Fax [phone]Email [e-mail]: The introduction of highly active retroviral therapy has dramatically reduced mortality and improved survival among HIV patients. However, there is a possible risk of comorbid complications such as hypertension. Little evidence is available regarding the incidence of hypertension among HIV patients receiving anti-retroviral therapy in Ethiopia.Purpose: To assess the incidence and predictors of hypertension among HIV positive patients receiving ART at Public Health Facilities, Northwest Ethiopia.Patients and Methods: A one-year prospective follow-up study was conducted among a cohort of 302 new adult individuals initiating on a standard anti-retroviral therapy regimen with a median (IQR) age of 35 years (IQR=30– 41). A pretested data extraction checklist was used to extract baseline patient records. The collected data were entered into Epi-Data version 3.1 and exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. The incidence rate was calculated, and a Kaplan–Meier survival curve was used to estimate the survival probabilities of developing hypertension. Cox proportional hazards model was fitted to identify the predictors of hypertension.Results: About 40 (13.25) new hypertensive cases were observed during the follow-up period, and the remaining 262 (86.75%) were censored. The overall incidence rate of hypertension was 16.35 per 1000 person-month with 2447 patient-month observations. Male sex (AHR = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.02, 6.14), old age (AHR = 2.83, 95% CI: 1.08, 7.45), high BMI (AHR = 6.54, 95% CI: 2.03, 21.13), diabetic comorbidity (AHR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.07, 5.22), and patients who were on Zidovudine (AZT)-based ART regimen (AHR =3.47, 95% CI: 1.10, 10.94) were significant predictors for the development of hypertension.Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that incident hypertension is a common problem among HIV patients receiving ART. Routine monitoring of blood pressure and screening and treating high blood pressure should be an integral part of follow-up for HIV patients in ART clinics.Keywords: anti-retroviral therapy, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, Ethiopia