Abstract
Metabolic syndrome associated with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease has been described in HIV positive individuals. We investigated whether HIV individuals and CAD patients have similarities in their vascular function and structure. We compared measurements of carotid artery intima media thickness (IMT) and brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in HIV individuals with age and sex-matched controls with similar risk factors and patients with established CAD.Seventy-one HIV patients (age 42 13.9 yrs, 91 % male) were compared to 29 CAD patients and 25 controls. HIV patients had higher IMT than controls and similar IMT with CAD patients (0.64±0.2 vs. 0.55±0.05 vs. 0.66±0.08 mm respectively, F=4.2, p=0.01) Patients on protease inhibitors, had higher IMT (0.69±0.2 vs. 0.57±0.15 mm, p=0.01), blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides than those without (p<0.05). In multiple regression analyses increasing blood pressure (b: 0.37, p=0.001), glucose (b: 0.26, p=0.016), chol ...
Metabolic syndrome associated with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease has been described in HIV positive individuals. We investigated whether HIV individuals and CAD patients have similarities in their vascular function and structure. We compared measurements of carotid artery intima media thickness (IMT) and brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in HIV individuals with age and sex-matched controls with similar risk factors and patients with established CAD.Seventy-one HIV patients (age 42 13.9 yrs, 91 % male) were compared to 29 CAD patients and 25 controls. HIV patients had higher IMT than controls and similar IMT with CAD patients (0.64±0.2 vs. 0.55±0.05 vs. 0.66±0.08 mm respectively, F=4.2, p=0.01) Patients on protease inhibitors, had higher IMT (0.69±0.2 vs. 0.57±0.15 mm, p=0.01), blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides than those without (p<0.05). In multiple regression analyses increasing blood pressure (b: 0.37, p=0.001), glucose (b: 0.26, p=0.016), cholesterol (b: 0.24, p=0.033), duration of HIV disease (b: 0.33, p=0.008) and use of protease inhibitors (b: 0.27, p=0.04) were the most important determinants of IMT respectively. FMD was associated only with triglyceride measurements. We also investigated whether normotensive ‘HIV-infected’ individuals and hypertensive patients have similarities regarding their arterial elastic properties and the effect of HAART and metabolic factors on arterial stiffness. We compared measurements of pulse wave velocity (PWV), arterial blood pressure and markers of metabolic profile in 56 normotensive, ‘HIV-infected’ patients (mean age 40 13 yrs) to 28 age and sex matched newly diagnosed untreated patients with hypertension and 28 healthy individuals. The HIV patients had higher PWV than healthy controls but lower PWV than hypertensives (8.1±1.4 m/sec vs. 6.7 ±1.1m/sec vs. 9.0±1.0 m/sec, p=0.003 and 0.01 respectively). However, patients on HAART had similar PWV with hypertensives (8.4±1.4 vs. 9.0±1.0 m/sec p=0.25). Patients on HAART had higher PWV than patients without (8.4±1.4 m/sec vs. 7.5±1.3 m/sec, p=0.03). Patients on HAART had higher total cholesterol, triglycerides and diastolic blood pressure than patient’s naïve to HAART (p<0.05). In multivariate analysis, the independent determinants of increased PWV were HAART duration (unstandarsised coefficient b v=0.007, p=0.04), serum cholesterol (b=0.007, p=0.04), mean or diastolic blood pressure (b=0.049 and b=0.060, p<0.01). ‘HIV-infected’ individuals have increased arterial stiffness compared to healthy controls. Patients on antiretroviral therapy have similarities regarding their arterial elastic properties with patients with untreated hypertension. There is an independent association between duration of antiretroviral therapy, cholesterol levels and blood pressure with increased arterial stiffness in ‘HIV-infected’ patients. Finally we investigated whether HIV infected individuals receiving HAART and patients who where naïve to medication had differences in their vascular microcirculatory function, as assessed by forearm reactive hyperemia. We compared measurements of forearm reactive hyperemia using venous occlusion strain gauge plethysmography (Hokanson AI6 Arterial Inflow System) in HIV individuals receiving HAART with patient’s naïve to treatment with similar age and sex. Forty (N=40) HIV- infected patients receiving HAART were compared to twenty (N=20) naïve to therapy HIV infected patients. The baseline forearm blood flow was similar between the two groups. Patients exposed to treatment had lower % increase in their blood flow during reactive hyperemia than patients naïve to treatment (change between the maximum hyperemic blood flow and the resting blood flow: 714±255 vs. 907±325 %, p=0.01). Patients receiving HAART had higher values of total cholesterol and lower values of % change in the forearm blood flow. HAART was related with in the % change in the forearm blood flow during maximum hyperemia after adjustment for age and cholesterol levels (p<0.05). In conclusion, patients with HIV infection especially those receiving HAART present functional abnormalities of arterial microcirculation in comparison with naïve to treatment patients. This vascular dysfunction is likely mediated by HAART-induced changes in lipid profile. Thus, intensive treatment of metabolic parameters might retard atherosclerosis in HIV patients.
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