Researchers Find High Rates Of Heart Disease And High Cholesterol In People With HIV
By April Clayton 

Results from a recent Brazilian study indicate that a high proportion of HIV-positive individuals on antiretroviral therapy have abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Additionally, almost 40 percent of HIV-positive individuals in the study were at an increased risk for heart disease.

Based on their results, the authors of the study suggested that intervention programs be implemented to reduce the risk of heart disease in people with HIV taking antiretrovirals.

Although antiretroviral therapy slows the progression of HIV and has helped prevent HIV-related deaths, it can lead to side effects such as weight gain, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and insulin resistance or pre-diabetes.

Results of several previous studies have indicated that the use of protease inhibitors in particular is associated with high levels of cholesterol in people with HIV (see related AIDS Beacon news).

These side effects can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes.

In this study, researchers investigated the rates of high cholesterol and triglyceride levels and risk for cardiovascular disease in 113 people with HIV who were on antiretroviral therapy. The average age of study participants was 39 years old and 68 percent were male.

Results showed that two-thirds of study participants (67 percent) had problems with their cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Almost 54 percent of participants had low levels of “good” cholesterol and 36 percent had high levels of triglycerides; 27 percent had borderline-high or high cholesterol.

Results also showed that participants taking a protease inhibitor-based regimen had a more than five-fold higher risk for abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels than patients on antiretroviral therapy without protease inhibitors.

In addition, almost 40 percent of individuals with HIV had changes in body fat distribution, particularly body fat accumulation.

The researchers also assessed the risk for heart disease in 97 participants. Results showed that 37 percent of the HIV-positive men and 40 percent of the HIV-positive women had a high risk for heart disease.

The researchers found no link between age, length of HIV infection, gender, viral load (amount of HIV in the blood), or CD4 (white blood cell) count and risk of abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

For more information, please see the study in the Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases (abstract).

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