HIV treatment has delivered life-altering advantages. Antiretroviral therapy has led to a reduced mortality and improved life expectancy for people living with HIV. Nearly 41 million people were living with HIV in 2024. Eastern and southern Africa accounted for 21.1 million while western and central Africa accounted for 5.2 million.
But there are risks associated with the therapy , including the potential for a set of health conditions affecting heart, blood vessels, and metabolisms like high blood pressure and excessive weight gain.
Melani Ratih Mahanani, a medical doctor and epidemiologist, unpacks her research conducted in Malawi that showed some drugs have some side effects but that weight gain or high blood pressure following HIV treatment does not mean treatment is failing or dangerous. Instead, these patterns simply show that HIV care and chronic disease care need to work together.
