Center Fellow Publishes Comprehensive Study on Treating Prehypertension in Haiti

Recently, WCM Global Health Fellow Lily Yan published “Treatment of prehypertension among adults with HIV: a randomized clinical trial” in AIDS. This study is supported by the NIH Fogarty Center and takes place in the GHESKIO Centers in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. It focused on evaluating whether treating prehypertension, which is characterized by elevated blood pressure levels that have not yet reached the clinical standard for a hypertensive diagnosis (BP > 140/90), which is where the NIH recommends treatment. As prehypertension increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, Yan et. al aimed to investigate whether prehypertension treatment was “effaceable, feasible, and acceptable” in Haiti. Over the 12-month long study and intervention period, Yan et. al found significantly reduced blood pressure in the intervention group when compared to the control (Photo), extremely limited adverse effects, and high acceptability of the intervention among local providers.  

The full text of the article can be found here.

Picture: “Figure 1” from the paper, demonstrating significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure from the intervention group 

Article by Flavia Scott.