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Published on: August 9, 2024
Screening and risk assessment for coronary artery disease in HIV infection: an unmet need
J Nadel1,2, C J Holloway2,3
1University of Notre Dame, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Insights
People with HIV have a 1.5-2x higher risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), similar to diabetes. Current screening tools are insufficient for this growing population.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- HIV infection is now a manageable chronic condition.
- HIV treatment increases coronary artery disease (CAD) risk due to inflammation, risk factors, and antiretroviral therapy side effects.
- HIV-positive individuals face a 1.5-2 fold higher risk of CAD, comparable to diabetes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the current landscape of CAD in the HIV-infected population.
- To review existing assessment and management tools for CAD in HIV patients.
- To identify limitations of current CAD assessment and management strategies for this population.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of current CAD prevalence in HIV.
- Analysis of risk factors contributing to CAD in HIV.
- Evaluation of diagnostic and screening tools for CAD in HIV patients.
Main Results:
- HIV infection independently elevates CAD risk to levels seen in diabetes.
- Antiretroviral therapies and chronic inflammation contribute to increased cardiovascular risk.
- Existing CAD screening and assessment tools have limitations for HIV-infected individuals.
Conclusions:
- HIV-infected individuals represent a high-risk population for CAD.
- There is a critical need for improved screening and assessment tools tailored to HIV patients.
- Further research is needed to optimize cardiovascular risk management in the context of HIV infection.
Abstract:
HIV infection is now considered a chronic, treatable disease, although treatment is associated with increased rates of coronary artery disease (CAD). Increased risk of CAD in HIV-infected patients has been associated with the inflammatory sequelae of the infection as well as the greater prevalence of cardiac risk factors in HIV-positive populations and the side effects of life-prolonging antiretroviral therapies. Patients with HIV infection now have a 1.5 to 2-fold greater risk of developing CAD compared with noninfected individuals, raising the independent risk of CAD in HIV infection to levels similar to those in diabetes. Despite this increased risk, screening and other adjuvant assessment tools are lacking. In this paper we explore the current climate of CAD in the contemporary HIV-infected population and look at the tools used in the assessment and management of patients as well as the limitations of these approaches for this at-risk population group.
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