Prevalence and correlates of traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease in a Nigerian ART-naive HIV population: a cross-sectional study

Objectives HIV infection environment presents a classic example of the interplay between infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors abound in the HIV population even before initiation of antiretrovirals (ARVs) and predispose them to the development of stroke and myocardial infarction. This work focuses on determining the prevalence of traditional CVD risk factors among ARV-naive HIV individuals in southern Nigeria. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of ARV-naive patients initiating care at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital HIV clinic cohort to determine the prevalence and correlates of hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), obesity and dyslipidaemia. Results The sample consisted of 4925 assessed for hypertension, 5223 for obesity, 1818 for DM and 926 for dyslipidaemia. Hypertension prevalence was 26.7% (95% CI 25.5% to 28.0%) with a male preponderance (p=0.02). DM was found in 5.6% (95% CI 4.5% to 6.7%), obesity in 8.3% (95% CI 7.6% to 9.1%) and dyslipidaemia in 29.1% (95% CI 26.1% to 32.1%) with a high prevalence of low high-density lipoprotein-c (42.6%). Hypertension was independently associated with age (OR 1.04 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.05),p<0.001) and body mass index (BMI) (OR 1.06 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.08),p<0.001), obesity with age (OR 1.02 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.03),p<0.001), male gender (OR 0.38 (95% CI 0.29 to 0.49),p<0.001) and CD4 count (OR 2.63 (95% CI 1.96 to 3.53),p<0.001) while dyslipidaemia was associated with BMI (OR 1.05 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.10), p=0.03). Conclusion The prevalence of traditional CVD risk factors is high in this ART-naive HIV population. An integrated approach of HIV and NCD screening/treatment may be relevant for centres in sub-Saharan Africa.