24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and hypertension related risk among HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals: Cross sectional study findings from rural Uganda.

Hypertension is diagnosed and treated based on blood pressure (BP) readings obtained in the clinic setting. Positive HIV status is associated with a higher prevalence of abnormal diurnal blood pressure patterns, diagnosed with ambulatory BP monitoring rather than the conventional method of BP measurement. Little is known about ambulatory BP profiles in people living with HIV (PLHIV) in low-income countries, especially within sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we compared 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure profiles of 140 HIV-positive individuals vs. profiles in 166 HIV negative individuals living in rural Uganda. HIV was well-controlled, with all HIV seropositive participants reporting use of anti-retroviral therapy, and approximately 123 (88%) having undetectable viral load. Most participants reported ART use duration of less than 10 years. Compared to HIV negative participants, HIV positive participants had lower median 24-hour systolic blood pressure (110.4 mmHg (IQR: 105.7, 118.7) vs 117.7 mmHg (IQR: 110.8, 129.8), p<0.001), and 24-hour diastolic blood pressure (69.2 mmHg (IQR: 65.0, 74.9) vs. 71.9 mmHg (IQR: 67.2, 78.1), p=0.004). Adjusted results showed greater percentage systolic nocturnal dipping among PLHIV compared to HIV negative individuals (difference=2.70 (IQR: 0.94, 4.47), p <0.05). Results of the adjusted Poisson regression suggested lower prevalence of 24-hour and night hypertension among HIV positives compared to HIV negative, but were not statistically significant. Our data suggest that continuous 24-hour blood pressure measurements are lower in PLHIV on ART compared to HIV negative individuals.