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Ischemic heart disease in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected individuals: a population-based cohort study

Niels Obel1, Henrik F Thomsen, Gitte Kronborg

  • 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Rigshospitalet, Hvidovre, Denmark. niels.obel@ouh.fyns-amt.dk

Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
|May 23, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) increases ischemic heart disease risk in HIV patients. This risk is elevated after HAART initiation and remains stable for up to 8 years.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Concerns exist regarding highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and increased ischemic heart disease (IHD) risk.
  • Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with various cardiovascular complications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between HAART and the risk of first hospitalization for IHD in HIV-infected patients.
  • To compare IHD hospitalization rates between HIV-infected patients and a general population control group.

Main Methods:

  • Nationwide cohort study in Denmark (1995-2004) including 3953 HIV patients and 373,856 controls.
  • Data on IHD hospitalizations and comorbidities obtained from the Danish National Hospital Registry.
  • Cox regression analysis used to calculate adjusted relative risks for IHD hospitalization.

Main Results:

  • Patients not on HAART showed a non-significant trend towards higher IHD risk (aRR, 1.39).
  • HAART initiation was associated with a substantial increase in IHD risk (aRR, 2.12).
  • The relative risk of IHD remained stable for up to 8 years after HAART initiation.

Conclusions:

  • HIV-infected patients on HAART have an elevated risk of ischemic heart disease compared to the general population.
  • The increased IHD risk associated with HAART is stable for at least 8 years post-treatment initiation.
Abstract

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