Antiretroviral Treatment and Antihypertensive Therapy

Abstract

\n\nThe presence of hypertension among the population with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has\nbecome a new threat to the health and well-being of people living with this disease, in particular, among those\nwho received antiretroviral therapy. The estimated prevalence of high blood pressure in HIV‐infected patients is\nsignificantly higher than the rate observed in HIV‐uninfected subjects. The approach to the HIV-positive patient\nrequires the assessment of individual cardiovascular risk and its consideration when designing the individualized\ntarget. On the other hand, the numerous pharmacological interactions of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are essential\nelements to take into account. Serum levels of any kind of antihypertensive drugs may be influenced by\nthe coadministration of protease inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, or other antiretroviral.\nSimilarly, plasma concentrations of antiretroviral drugs can be increased by the concomitant use of calcium\nchannel blockers or diuretics. In this regard, the treatment of high blood pressure in HIV patients should be preferentially\nbased on ACE inhibitors or thiazide/thiazide-like diuretics or their combination.\n