One third of HIV patients in Akwa Ibom unaware they have hypertension

A new study published in the European Heart Journal has revealed that nearly one in three people living with HIV (PLWHIV) in Akwa Ibom State are unaware they have high blood pressure.

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The study highlights the urgent need to integrate cardiovascular screening into HIV care systems.

The research was carried out by the Managing Hypertension among People Living with HIV: An Integrated Model (MAP-IT) study team, led by Daniel Henry, Anyiekere Ekanem, and Dike Ojji.

The researchers found that 31 per cent of those tested were newly diagnosed with high blood pressure, conditions that had previously gone undetected.

The MAP-IT study screened individuals accessing HIV-related services during the 2023 World AIDS Day, observed annually on 1 December.

The study titled Integrating Non-Communicable Diseases Awareness Campaign into Periodic Human Immunodeficiency Virus Awareness Campaign: Lessons from Events of World AIDS Day in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria was published on 6 May.

HIV burden

Akwa Ibom State, where the study was conducted, ranks third in Nigeria for the highest number of people living with HIV, according to the 2024 HIV Spectrum Estimates by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA).

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The report shows that Rivers State accounts for 208,767 HIV cases, followed by Benue State with 202,346 cases, while Akwa Ibom records 161,597 cases.

The HIV burden in the state highlights the relevance of integrating hypertension screening into HIV-related services.

More details

The MAP-IT trial and its supplemental study, LINK2MAP-IT, are funded by the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

Working with the Akwa Ibom State Agency for the Control of AIDS, the MAP-IT team employed a nurse-led, community-based approach across 22 community-based organisations (CBOs) already engaged in HIV service delivery.

These organisations were trained and equipped with semi-automated blood pressure monitors and educational materials, enabling them to screen, deliver lifestyle counselling, and facilitate referrals to primary healthcare centres for follow-up care.

According to Mr Ojji, lead investigator and head of the Cardiovascular Research Unit at the University of Abuja, the findings reveal a concerning gap in cardiovascular disease (CVD) awareness among PLWHIV and reinforce the need to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs) within this group.

Traditionally focused on testing, treatment, and stigma reduction, World AIDS Day campaigns, the researchers suggest, must evolve to include routine screening for other chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and lipid disorders.

“The longevity afforded by access to antiretroviral therapy is now revealing the hidden toll of comorbid conditions such as hypertension among PLWHIV,” the authors noted.

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They said without early detection and treatment, these risk factors could compromise the health gains achieved through HIV care.

“As the burden of non-communicable diseases continues to rise alongside infectious diseases, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, the MAP-IT findings offer a compelling case for revisiting public health campaigns as multi-disease platforms that save time, resources, and ultimately, lives.”