Anamaria Papiță ¹, Adriana Albu ², Daniela Fodor ², Corina Itu ¹, D. Cârstina ³
¹ Infectious Diseases Hospital Cluj-Napoca
² 2nd Internal Medicine Clinic, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu Haţieganu”, Cluj-Napoca
³ Infectious Diseases Hospital, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu Haţieganu”, Cluj-Napoca
Abstract
Background: Cardiovascular disease is an increasing cause of morbidity and mortality in HIVinfected patients. The increased cardiovascular risk in HIV infected patients is linked to traditional risk factors but also to HIV infection itself which can damage the arterial wall. The antiretroviral treatment (ART) is implicated in metabolic disturbances which can also affect the arterial wall. The aim of our study was to identify the effects of HIV and ART on the aortic artery and the cardiovascular risk by the evaluation of arterial stiffness parameters. Material and methods: A cross-sectional case-control study of 59 HIV-infected patients (55 exposed to ART, 5 ART-naïve) and 40 controls matched by age and sex was performed. Aortic stiffness parameters and brachial parameters were measured using a device called Arteriograf TensioMed attached to a laptop with a TensioMed special software which provided automatic calculations of these markers. Results: HIV-infected patients had a greater aortic pulse wave velocity than the control group (p=0.02) and an increased heart rate (p=0.02). HIV infection and ARV treatment are additional risk factors for rapid onset and progression of atherosclerosis. Conclusions: HIV infection and ARV treatment are associated with increased arterial stiffness and increased heart rate. These vascular alterations are possible causes of the increased cardiovascular risk observed in HIV infected patients.