Question
Does HIV cause high blood pressure?
23 June 2015. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Living with HIV long-term, Opportunistic infections.
I was diagnosed with HIV in Nov 2014 with a CD4 count of 628. I was immediately placed on Isoniazid as a TB preventative measure. In June 2015 and my CD4 count was 178. This shocked me as I expected it to be higher given that despite being healthy I was also taking the TB prevention medication.
My blood pressure has also been gradually increasing over the months and today I started taking blood pressure medication. Is there a relationship between being HIV positive and the increase in blood pressure?
Besides commencing ARV treatment what other measures can I take to keep myself healthy?
Answer
Hi
Thanks for your questions.
Because your CD4 count has dropped by a large amount over a short time, it iis good to repeat the CD4 test.
This will confirm whether the result is accurate or a lab error.
If this your CD4 count is this low then it is important to talk to your doctor about HIV meds. No other lifestyle changes can bring your CD4 count back up again. Only HIV meds have been proven to do this.
HIV affect people in different ways and some people are just unlucky if their CD4 count drops quicker than average.
Lifestyle factors, including genetics, are more likely to cause high blood pressure than HIV. Your doctor should talk about ho to manage and treatment this.
HIV drugs do not affect blood pressure – so this will involve a different treatment.
Hi Sanket,
No HIV drugs do not affect a persons blood pressure. This is caused by other factors. If you are suffering from high blood pressure, please see a doctor.
Can HIV drug affact high blood pressure?
Lifestyle factors, including genetics, are more likely to cause high blood pressure than HIV. And also, many people can have higher blood pressure when they get older. If you have high blood pressure your doctor should talk about how to manage and treat this.
HIV drugs do not affect blood pressure.
Can HIV cause BP ?