Changes in Lipid Indices in HIV+ Cases on HAART

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Infectious Diseases
• Cardiovascular Health

Background:

• Highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) has transformed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) management.
• Long-term effects of HAART on metabolic parameters, particularly lipid profiles, require ongoing investigation.
• Comorbidities like diabetes mellitus (DM) and thyroid dysfunction are common in HIV patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess long-term changes in lipid levels (total cholesterol, triglycerides) in HIV patients on HAART.
• To investigate the association between these lipid changes and diabetes mellitus (DM) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG).
• To explore correlations between lipid levels, viral load, CD4+ cell counts, and specific HAART components.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study of 63 HIV-infected patients over 6 years of HAART.
• Analysis of total cholesterol (TC) and total triglyceride (TG) levels.
• Correlation analysis with parameters including viral load, CD4+ cell counts, DM, IFG, and HAART components (nevirapine).
• Linear mixed-effect modeling to identify significant predictors of TC levels.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in TC and TG levels were observed in patients with normal baseline levels, and in those with DM or IFG.
• Patients with pre-existing hypercholesterolemia showed significantly higher TC levels throughout the 6-year period.
• TC levels were significantly higher in DM patients compared to euglycemic patients post-HAART.
• TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C negatively correlated with viral load; TC and VLDL-C positively correlated with pre-HAART CD4+ counts.
• Disturbed glucose metabolism, nevirapine-containing HAART, and CD4+ cell count were positively correlated with post-HAART TC levels.

Conclusions:

• HAART is associated with significant long-term alterations in lipid profiles in HIV patients.
• These lipid changes may increase the risk of dyslipidemia and are linked to glucose metabolism disturbances.
• Close monitoring of lipid profiles and metabolic status is essential for HIV patients on long-term HAART.