Impact of a COVID-19 National Lockdown on Integrated Care for Hypertension and HIV
Jeremy I. Schwartz,
Martin Muddu,
Isaac Kimera,
Mary Mbuliro,
Rebecca Ssennyonjo,
Isaac Ssinabulya,
Fred C. Semitala
Affiliations
Jeremy I. Schwartz
Section of General Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, US; Uganda Initiative for Integrated Management of Non-Communicable Diseases, Kampala
Martin Muddu
Uganda Initiative for Integrated Management of Non-Communicable Diseases, Kampala; Makerere University Joint AIDS Program, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala
Isaac Kimera
Makerere University Joint AIDS Program, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala
Mary Mbuliro
Makerere University Joint AIDS Program, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala
Rebecca Ssennyonjo
Makerere University Joint AIDS Program, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala
Isaac Ssinabulya
Uganda Initiative for Integrated Management of Non-Communicable Diseases, Kampala; Uganda Heart Institute, Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala; Department of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala
Fred C. Semitala
Makerere University Joint AIDS Program, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala; Department of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala
Research Letter Introduction: Measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, such as movement restrictions, are anticipated to worsen outcomes for chronic conditions such as hypertension (HTN), in part due to decreased access to medicines. However, the actual impact of lockdowns on access to medicines and HTN control has not been reported. Between March 25 and June 30, 2020, the Government of Uganda instituted a nationwide lockdown. Health facilities remained open, however motor vehicle transportation was largely banned. In Ugandan public health facilities, HTN services are offered widely, however the availability of HTN medicines is generally low and inconsistent. In contrast, antiretrovirals for people with HIV (PWH) are free and consistently available at HIV clinics. We sought to evaluate the impact of the lockdown on access to medicines and clinical outcomes among a cohort of Ugandan patients with HTN and HIV.
