Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors among clients on Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy in Vihiga County, Kenya

HIV/AIDS is a public health concern globally and especially in sub-Saharan Africa and in Kenya. All HIV positive clients are initiated on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) to reduce the multiplication of the HIV and improve their immunity. These clients are at an increased cardiovascular disease risk not only because of the pathophysiological changes associated with HIV infection but also due to a complex interplay of factors including traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking cigarettes, obesity due to inactivity, and diabetes. This study sought to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among people living with HIV (PLHIV) on HAART in Vihiga County, Kenya. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design to report baseline survey data for an interventional study on prevalence of CVD risk factors. The study involved a systematic sample of 211 patients on HAART in six health facilities randomly selected from Vihiga County. Data was collected using WHO stepwise questionnaire from six comprehensive care clinics (CCC) across Vihiga County from March to July 2022. The outcome measures were the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors. The average age of the participants was 45.5 (Mean=45.5± 9.1). The prevalence of the cardiovascular risk factors was as follows; Obese 14.7%, overweight 17.5%, hypertension 12.32%, smoking 8.5%, diabetes 2.4%, inactivity 44.6%, alcohol consumption 14.9% and high viral load 11.9%. In Conclusion, prevalence of obesity, inactivity and hypertension was high while smoking and diabetes was low.