Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk and Arterial Stiffness in Patients With Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Background: Several studies suggest that patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) under highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) have a higher cardiovascular risk than general population. Arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of events and can be measured through carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). The objectives this study were to characterize sample HIV-infected HAART regarding risk, compare PWV values group those uninfected controls, investigate predictors in group. Methods: was measured, data collected from 125 HAART. measurements compared control 250 subjects similar sex, age, prevalence hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). A linear regression model constructed identify Results: In group, composed mostly men, mean age respective standard deviation 48.6 ± 11.6 years. 112 individuals (89.6%) presented moderate very high risk. Significant differences found median between groups (8.56 vs. 8.00 m/s, p = .002). Age, peripheral systolic blood pressure, presence DM, amount alcohol consumed, current CD4+ T cell count Conclusions: showed arterial may important subclinical disease patients.