[Diastolic dysfunction in patients with human inmunodeficiency virus. Tissue Doppler study]

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Virology

Background:

• Cardiac complications in HIV patients are understudied.
• Diastolic dysfunction is a common cardiac alteration in HIV, potentially due to viral, autoimmune, or co-infection mechanisms.
• Doppler tissue imaging is a reliable tool for assessing diastolic function, unaffected by hemodynamic factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (DDVI) in asymptomatic HIV-positive individuals.
• To investigate the relationship between DDVI, CD4 cell counts, and viral load in HIV patients.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 50 HIV-positive patients without cardiac symptoms.
• Echocardiogram with Doppler tissue imaging was performed.
• A control group of 50 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals was included.

Main Results:

• HIV infection was significantly associated with DDVI (p<0.05).
• A correlation was found between DDVI and CD4 lymphocyte levels.
• No significant association was observed between DDVI and HIV viral load.

Conclusions:

• Asymptomatic HIV-positive individuals exhibit an association with DDVI.
• Long-term monitoring of HIV patients with silent diastolic dysfunction is recommended to track potential progression to systolic dysfunction.