Background: HIV-infected children and young adults have cardiovascular disease risk factors reflecting chronic infection and the effects of combination antiretroviral (ARV) therapy. We thus sought to characterize the prevalence of and risk factors for high blood pressure (HBP) in this population.
Methods: Retrospective chart review classified subjects aged 2-25 years based on a single clinic blood pressure (BP) reading as normal BP, pre-HBP or HBP. Variables suspected to contribute to elevated BP were compared including body mass index, tobacco use, medical comorbidities, ARV or other medication use, dyslipidemia, ethnicity and family history.
Results: In all, 47 of 266 subjects (18%) were found to have HBP. Among children and adolescents aged 2-17 years, 21 of 107 (20%) had HBP. Comorbidities believed to elevate BP, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea or cocaine exposure, were significant risk factors for elevated BP, with 35% of subjects with these comorbidities having HBP, compared with 16% of subjects without (P = 0.01). Male gender and tobacco use were also risk factors associated with elevated BPs. HBP was more common in overweight subjects (26%) than not overweight (15%) but did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.15). ARV medication use and higher HIV-1 RNA were not associated with HBP.
Conclusions: Our finding of 20% prevalence of HBP in a cohort of HIV-infected children represents a potentially alarming figure. The explanation for this finding is unclear, but even if it is because of comorbid conditions, the life-long cardiovascular risks associated with HIV infection and its management mandate the need for closer monitoring and possibly treatment of elevated BP in this population.