P6254Care cascade of hypertension in people living with HIV

Abstract

Background Life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLHIV) has been increasing since the advent of antiretroviral therapy. However, prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCD) and associated deaths has followed the same trend. From these NCDs, those of cardiovascular origin have become the most prevalent among PLHIV. Purpose In this study we delineate a cascade of care for hypertension screening, diagnosis, treatment, drug adherence and control in PLHIV. Methods Male and female patients diagnosed with HIV above 40 years of age attending to an outpatient clinic of a reference tertiary care centre for infectious diseases were cross-sectionally screened for hypertension through blood pressure (BP) measurement during outpatient consultation. Results A total of 298 subject were enrolled. Of these, 107 (35.9%) presented elevated BP consistent with hypertension according to national guidelines. Of these, only 36 (33.6%) were aware of the diagnosis, 19 (17.7%) were on regular cardiological follow-up, 17 (15.8%) were under treatment and 11 (10.2%) responded to be adherent to BP lowering medication. Care Cascade HIV_HTN Conclusions Steep decline was revealed in several steps of the cascade of care, especially regarding the awareness level. Integrative methods for NCD and HIV care are urgently needed. Early screening of hypertension, diagnosis, treatment, adherence and ongoing BP control should be equal targets in HIV care. Finally, there is an urgent need to encourage HIV primary care and infectious disease health professionals to early screen for cardiovascular outcomes. Acknowledgement/Funding Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas – FAPEAM