By Felix Khanoba
A new study has uncovered a critical health oversight among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria as nearly one-third are unknowingly living with high blood pressure.
The research, published in the European Heart Journal by the Managing Hypertension among People Living with HIV: An Integrated Model (MAP-IT) study team, found that 31 per cent of HIV-positive individuals screened during the 2023 World AIDS Day activities were newly diagnosed with elevated blood pressure.
Led by Daniel Henry, Anyiekere Ekanem, and Dike Ojji, the study was published on 6 May 2025 under the title Integrating Non-Communicable Diseases Awareness Campaign into Periodic Human Immunodeficiency Virus Awareness Campaign: Lessons from Events of World AIDS Day in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria (DOI:10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf286).
The findings underscore the need for integrated healthcare services in regions with limited resources.
Leveraging the 2023 World AIDS Day platform, the MAP-IT team, supported by the Akwa Ibom State Agency for the Control of AIDS, implemented a nurse-led, community-based hypertension screening initiative across the state. The intervention utilised 22 community-based organisations (CBOs) previously identified for their active roles in HIV care. These CBOs, trained and equipped with semi-automated blood pressure monitors and educational materials, screened individuals accessing HIV-related services, provided lifestyle counselling, and facilitated referrals to local primary healthcare centres for further evaluation.
World AIDS Day, observed globally on 1st December of each year since 1988, honours those lost to HIV/AIDS and raises awareness about prevention and treatment. In Akwa Ibom State, the 2023 observance expanded this mission—demonstrating how it can also serve as a catalyst for addressing broader health challenges.
“Our findings point to a significant gap in cardiovascular disease (CVD) awareness and care among PLWH and draw attention to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in this population,” said Dike Ojji, professor of preventive cardiology, and lead investigator, Cardiovascular Research Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Abuja.
Traditionally focused on HIV testing, treatment, and anti-stigma campaigns, the researchers argue that future World AIDS Day efforts must incorporate screening for CVD risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidaemia to achieve maximum health impact.
“The longevity afforded by access to antiretroviral therapy is now revealing the hidden toll of comorbid conditions such as hypertension among PLWH,” the authors noted. “Without early detection and treatment, these risk factors could compromise the health gains achieved through HIV care.”
According to Ojji, who is also the principal investigator, MAP-IT Study,
“As the burden of non-communicable diseases continues to rise alongside infectious diseases, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, the MAP-IT findings offer a compelling case for revisiting public health campaigns as multi-disease platforms that save time, resources, and ultimately, lives.”
The MAP-IT trial and its supplemental study, LINK2MAP-IT, are funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
