Burden of hypertension and associated factors among HIV-positive adults in Busia County, Kenya

Introduction: the use of antiretroviral (ARVs) for the management of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection has resulted in a prolonged lifespan among HIV-positive individuals. Both HIV infection and ARVs treatment put this population at a greater risk of developing hypertension. The study aimed at establishing the burden of hypertension and associated factors among HIV-positive population.

Methods: a cross-sectional design was employed where a total of 280 HIV-positive adults in Busia County were selected in a multi-stage sampling procedure between March and August 2020. Sociodemographic, economic and behavioral information was collected using a structured questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were taken using standard methods while clinical data were extracted from patients´ medical records. Proportion was used to establish hypertension burden. Analyses were done using the T-test, Chi-square, and odds ratio.

Results: among the 280 study participants, 194 (69.3%) were females, and 239(85.4%) over 35 years of age. Hypertensive cases were 55 (19.6%). The hypertensive group had a significantly higher mean age (52.25±10.4 vs 44.9±11.3; p=0.002), waist-to-hip ratio (0.93±0.09 vs 0.89±0.07; p=0.016), HIV duration (8.64±4.63 vs 6.86±4.04; p=0.014) and cumulative ART treatment duration (8.31±4.61 vs 6.68±3.93; p=0.018). Factors found to be significantly associated with hypertension in the bivariate analysis included age (p=0.003); family history (p=0.024); duration of alcohol intake (p=0.034); HIV duration (p=0.033) and treatment duration (p=0.043). In the multivariate analysis, only age (p=0.045) and family history (p=0.018) contributed significantly in the logistic regression model.

Conclusion: the study revealed a slightly lower burden of hypertension among HIV -positive adults in Busia County. Age and family history were the factors independently associated with hypertension in this study.