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HYPERTENSION AND COMORBID ILLNESSES
Comorbid illness is considered as one or more disease or health condition that is present at the same time, in the same individual and is often a long term chronic illness.
Hypertension (HTN) impacts nearly 1 billion individuals worldwide and is usually associated with other illnesses including, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Cardiovascular disease (CVD), and Type II diabetes (Ventura & Lavie, 2016).
HYPERTENSION AND HIV
HIV globally inflicts nearly 37 million individuals. This virus attacks the body's immune system and if left untreated can progress to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) (CDC, 2020). The medication for HIV includes antiretroviral therapy (ART) which helps manage and control the illness. ART includes limiting the viral load, the measurable amount of the virus present in the blood (CDC, 2020).
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Hypertension is more prevalent amongst HIV-infected adults who are undergoing antiretroviral therapy than those who are HIV- uninfected ( Fahme et al., 2018). Managing blood pressure has a significant positive impact on improving HIV-related outcomes (Kwarisiima et al., 2019).
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HYPERTENSION AND TYPE II DIABETES
Type II diabetes is associated with increased blood glucose levels due to the body not being responsive to the insulin or does not produce enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone that transports blood glucose into our cells, thus reducing blood sugar levels (Mayo Clinic, 2020).
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75% of adults with diabetes will also suffer from hypertension, suggesting that hypertension and diabetes overlap in terms of underlying factors and complications (Long et al., 2011). These complications include contributing to the development of CVD including, stroke and heart attack. Therefore, diabetes management should be comprised of a multifarious treatment plan that targets blood pressure, lipid management, and glycemic control (Khangura et al., 2018).
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HYPERTENSION AND CVD
CVD include a class of diseases that involve the heart and/or blood vessels such as, myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke, and coronary artery disease.
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High blood pressure is one of the most significant risk factors for the development of CVD (Wu et al., 2015). In the example of myocardial infarction, high blood pressure increase the strain on the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart, thus,causes them to become blocked and inhibits blood flow to the heart resulting in a heart attack. In the case of a stroke, high blood pressure can cause the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain to clog more easily and even burst (Mayo Clinic, 2019).
