Prevalence of arterial hypertension and risk factors among people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
Gilmara Holanda da Cunha, Maria Amanda Correia Lima, Marli Teresinha Gimeniz Galvão and 3 others
PMID 30379250WHAT IT FOUND
Among 208 adults with AIDS on antiretroviral therapy, 17.3% had hypertension.
Older age, family history of hypertension, overweight, and longer antiretroviral therapy use were linked to hypertension, but the study cannot show antiretroviral therapy caused it.
Key findings
01In 208 adults with AIDS receiving antiretroviral therapy, 36 had hypertension, and the prevalence was 17.3% (95% CI 12.1-22.4%).
02Age over 45 years, family history of hypertension, overweight, increased waist circumference, and antiretroviral therapy use over 36 months were associated with hypertension.
03After adjustment, age over 45 years, family history of hypertension, overweight, and antiretroviral therapy use over 36 months remained associated with hypertension.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
It was a convenience sample from one outpatient clinic in Brazil, so the results may not apply to other settings or populations. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that any factor caused hypertension. There was no control group of people with AIDS not taking antiretroviral therapy or of people without HIV, so the study cannot separate HIV-related aging, treatment effects, and other causes. All participants used combination antiretroviral therapy, so the study could not identify which specific drugs or classes were associated with hypertension. Only 36 patients had hypertension, so the adjusted analysis rests on a small number of cases.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that antiretroviral therapy causes hypertension. The study found an association between longer therapy use and hypertension in a cross-sectional sample, and all patients received combination therapy, so it could not separate the effects of specific drugs from aging, HIV, or other risk factors.