Assessment of cardiac diastolic dysfunction in HIV-infected people without cardiovascular symptoms in China

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Cardiovascular complications are increasingly recognized in individuals with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.
• Cardiac diastolic dysfunction (DD) is a potential subclinical manifestation that requires further investigation in asymptomatic HIV-positive populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the prevalence of cardiac diastolic dysfunction (DD) in HIV-infected patients without cardiovascular symptoms in China.
• To identify factors associated with DD in this population, including HIV infection itself and specific antiretroviral therapies.

Main Methods:

• Eighty-four HIV-infected patients and 30 HIV-negative controls without cardiovascular symptoms were recruited.
• Cardiac function, specifically diastolic function, was evaluated using echocardiography, including tissue Doppler imaging.

Main Results:

• Cardiac diastolic dysfunction (DD) was detected in a significant proportion of HIV-infected patients (47.6% of AIDS patients, 42.8% of HIV-positive patients), which was significantly higher than in HIV-negative controls.
• Logistic regression analysis revealed that HIV infection was an independent predictor of cardiac DD (P < 0.05).
• Among HIV-positive subjects, zidovudine exposure was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of DD (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Asymptomatic cardiac diastolic dysfunction (DD) is common in HIV-infected individuals.
• Both HIV infection and exposure to zidovudine are independently correlated with an increased prevalence of cardiac DD, highlighting the need for cardiac monitoring in this patient group.