2015 Articles

Missed Opportunities to Address Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors amongst Adults Attending an Urban HIV Clinic in South Africa

Rabkin, Miriam; Mutiti, Anthony; Chung, Christine; Zhang, Yuan; Wei, Ying; El-Sadr, Wafaa Mahmoud

We assessed cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor prevalence and risk stratification amongst adults on antiretroviral therapy in South Africa. Of the 175 patients screened, 37.8% had high blood pressure (HBP), 15.4% were current smokers, 10.4% had elevated cholesterol, and 4.1% had diabetes, but very few (3.6%) had a 10-year CVD risk >10%. One-third of those with HBP, 40% of those with diabetes, and two-thirds of those with high cholesterol had not previously been diagnosed. Although participants were adherent with chronic HIV care, screening for and management of CVDRF were suboptimal, representing a missed opportunity to reduce non-AIDS morbidity and mortality.