Abstract
BackgroundTraditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors contribute to increase risk of CVD in people living with HIV (PLWH). Of all world regions, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence of HIV yet little is known about PLWH’s CVD knowledge and self- perceived risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). In this study, we assessed PLWH’s knowledge, perception and attitude towards cardiovascular diseases and their prevention.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in the largest HIV care program in western Kenya. Trained research assistants used validated questionnaires to assess CVD risk patterns. We used logistic regression analysis to identify associations between knowledge with demographic variables, HIV disease characteristics, and individuals CVD risk patterns.ResultsThere were 300 participants in the study; median age (IQR) was 40 (33–46) years and 64 % women. The prevalence of dyslipidemia, overweight and obesity were 70 %, 33 % and 8 %, respectively. Participant’s knowledge of risk factors was low with a mean (SD) score of 1.3 (1.3) out of possible 10. Most (77.7 %) could not identify any warning signs for heart attack. Higher education was a strong predictor of CVD risk knowledge (6.72, 95 % CI 1.98-22.84, P < 0.0001). Self-risk perception towards CHD was low (31 %) and majority had inappropriate attitude towards CVD risk reduction.ConclusionDespite a high burden of cardiovascular risk factors, PLWH in Kenya lack CVD knowledge and do not perceived themselves at risk for CHD. These results emphasis the need for behavior changes interventions to address the stigma and promote positive health behaviors among the high risk HIV population in Kenya.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-015-1157-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors contribute to increase risk of CVD in people living with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH)
Increased CVD risk in people living with HIV (PLWH) is attributed to chronic inflammation, immune activation associated with HIV-infection, opportunistic infections and traditional CVD risk factors including dyslipidemia associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) [6]
Study site Participants were recruited from the outpatient HIV clinic of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret within the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) program which provides care to >150,000 adults and children living with HIV/AIDS throughout
Summary
Traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors contribute to increase risk of CVD in people living with HIV (PLWH). Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence of HIV yet little is known about PLWH’s CVD knowledge and self- perceived risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). Over 22.5 million people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) reside in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), representing 68 % of the global HIV burden [1]. There is a greater than expected risk of CVD in PLWH [4, 5]. Increased CVD risk in PLWH is attributed to chronic inflammation, immune activation associated with HIV-infection, opportunistic infections and traditional CVD risk factors including dyslipidemia associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) [6].
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