Adults using HIV drug at higher risk of hypertension

Scientists have linked some HIV prevention drugs to increased incidents of high blood pressure.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is the use of an antiretroviral medication by HIV-negative people to reduce the risk of HIV acquisition. There are currently two daily oral PrEP regimens that are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration: tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF).

People aged 40 years and above who take TAF are at a higher risk of developing hypertension, according to a new study. TAF users are also more likely to start taking drugs to reduce cholesterol levels (statin) as opposed to their counterparts on the alternative treatment, TDF.

Although scientists are still racking their brains to develop a HIV cure, the virus can be subdued by controlling its replication levels (viral load) using a variety of drug combinations. 

Tenofovir is a component of HIV prevention combination drug that plays a key role owing to its reduced side effects and superior performance compared to other drugs.

Despite each having a list of possible side effects, TAF and TDF are both critical tools in preventing HIV infection due to their being well tolerated, safety and effectiveness. 

TDF was introduced in the market in 2001 as the debut tenofovir version and it immediately had a huge impact since it was more effective with minimal side effects. More patients increasingly adhered to the treatment.

TAF is the most recent tenofovir combination, which requires only 10 per cent of the active drug, making it a favourite among patients in terms of safety compared to TDF.

In the study, the experts observed a total of 6,824 male individuals with an average age of 33.9 years. Subjects who began with TAF for PrEP were found to be more likely non-Hispanic Whites and older than those who began with TDF.

Scientists have now attributed elevated hypertension cases and statin initiation to the use of TAF as opposed to using TDF.

“The benefits of TAF such as being a smaller sized pill has made it a favourable PrEP addition. However, it could have undesirable health effects on the cardio-metabolic,” the experts explained.

Hypertension is a non-communicable illness that affects one in three individuals globally, according to the latest report by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The silent killer is a major factor in a number of serious health complications such as heart attack, stroke, kidney damage, heart failure, among others. Recent WHO statistics indicate that around four in every five adults with high blood pressure are not treated adequately.

The health authority has called upon nations to scale up coverage to avert 76 million deaths between 2030 and 2050.

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