Risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with HIV infection undergoing antiretroviral therapy

• Published in: Revista clínica espanõla (English edition) Vol. 220; no. 3; pp. 149 - 154
• Main Authors: Estrada, V, Domingo, P, Suarez-Lozano, I, Gutiérrez, F, Knobel, H, Palacios, R, Antela, A, Blanco, J R, Refoyo, E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: 01-04-2020
• ISSN: 2254-8874
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rce.2019.05.006

BACKGROUNDThe increased survival of patients with HIV infection thanks to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is accompanied by a higher rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We analysed the prevalence of the cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) and estimated the risk of CVD in a cohort of patients with HIV in Spain. METHODSWe conducted a cross-sectional, observational study of CRFs in the Spanish VACH cohort of patients with HIV who undergo ART. RESULTSThe study assessed 15,559 patients with HIV (76% men; mean age, 46 years). Some 3.7% had experienced at least 1 CVD event. The prevalence of CRFs was high (hyperlipidaemia, 64%; tobacco use, 47%; arterial hypertension, 22%; and diabetes, 16%). According to the Framingham scale, 10.9% of the patients presented a high CVD risk, and 28.8% presented a moderate risk. Of the patients with a high CVD risk, 49% took protease inhibitors and 43% took abacavir. Fifty-three percent of the patients diagnosed with arterial hypertension took antihypertensive drugs, and 2.6% of the patients with diabetes took antidiabetic agents. CONCLUSIONSClassical CRFs are common in patients with HIV undergoing ART in Spain, and a large proportion of them have a moderate-high risk of CVD. Therefore, controlling the modifiable CRFs in patients with HIV should be improved, and the use of drugs with a better cardiovascular risk profile should be assessed.