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Oral Combinational Antiretroviral Treatment in HIV-1 Infected Humanized Mice
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HIV therapy, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular risk

Vivian Pao1, Grace A Lee, Carl Grunfeld

  • 1Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Metabolism Section (Box 111F), 4150 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA.

Current Atherosclerosis Reports
|March 28, 2008
PubMed

Insights

People with HIV infection experience metabolic abnormalities like high triglycerides and insulin resistance, increasing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. These issues stem from various factors, not a single cause, challenging the traditional view of metabolic syndrome.

Area of Science:

  • Internal Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Cardiology

Background:

  • People with HIV infection exhibit metabolic abnormalities, including hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and insulin resistance.
  • These abnormalities are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
  • Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions, is known to predict higher CVD risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the underlying causes and interrelationships of metabolic abnormalities in people with HIV infection.
  • To determine if metabolic syndrome in HIV infection shares a common pathophysiology.
  • To assess the prevalence of CVD in people with HIV infection in relation to traditional risk factors.

Main Methods:

  • The study analyzed metabolic profiles of individuals with HIV infection.
  • It examined the influence of HIV itself, antiretroviral therapies, and HIV-associated lipoatrophy on metabolic abnormalities.
  • Prevalence of CVD and its correlation with traditional risk factors were assessed.

Main Results:

  • Metabolic abnormalities in HIV infection do not share a single underlying cause and are not always linked.
  • Factors influencing these abnormalities include the host response to HIV, specific HIV drugs, and restoration to health.
  • Increased waist circumference, a component of metabolic syndrome, is less frequent in HIV infection.
  • The prevalence of CVD is higher in people with HIV infection.

Conclusions:

  • HIV infection presents metabolic abnormalities that mimic metabolic syndrome but lack a common underlying pathophysiology.
  • The findings suggest that metabolic syndrome may not represent a unified syndrome in the context of HIV.
  • Elevated CVD prevalence in people with HIV warrants further investigation regarding the contribution of traditional risk factors.

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