The prevalence of hypertension among people living with HIV (PLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is concerning. Physical activity is a proposed approach for managing and avoiding hypertension in this population. While cardiorespiratory exercises (CET) have been efficacious in the general population, its effectiveness in PLHIV on ART, especially in the study setting, in Mthatha is unknown. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to see if CET improves cardiorespiratory fitness in HAART-treated PLHIV with blood flow restriction (BFR) in Mthatha, South Africa. A quasi-experimental study with 98 participants (49 of whom were cases) was carried out. Cases were participants assigned to the CET intervention group that comprised of concurrent training as it included both aerobic and resistance exercise, matched on age and gender. The relationship between CET and hypertension was assessed using logistic regression after adjusting for possible confounding variables. At baseline, there was no significant difference between the physical characteristics of the two groups, and after the intervention, there was a significant difference. Obesity and central adiposity were identified as strong risk factors for hypertension. The findings also indicated that a reduction in waist circumference and body mass index had a significant positive association with hypertension treatment amongst the intervention group (p < 0.05). According to the results of the study, CET has the potential to be an efficient and economical non-pharmacological intervention for the management and control of hypertension in PLHIV. However, further study is required to establish how long, how intense, and what kind of exercise is best for this population.
Keywords: HIV; black people; cardiorespiratory fitness; concurrent training; hypertension; randomized control trial.