Electrocardiographic abnormalities among people with HIV in Shanghai, China

People living with HIV (PLWH) have an excess risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities are independently predictive of incident cardiovascular events in the general population. Our study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and correlates of ECG abnormalities among PLWH in Shanghai, China. We used a cross-sectional design to collect data from Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, China. A total of 587 HIV-infected patients aged between 18 and 75 years were recruited between January 2015 and February 2016. The overall prevalence of any type of ECG abnormalities was 53.3%. The prevalence of sinus tachycardia, ST-T segment elevation and left ventricular hypertrophy was 23.0%, 18.1%, and 6.8%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that ST-T segment elevation was positively associated with higher baseline HIV viral load (≥ 4 log₁₀ copies/mL), and sinus tachycardia was negatively associated with older age but positively associated with lower CD4 cell count, higher baseline HIV viral load (≥ 4 log₁₀ copies/mL) and higher lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) level (≥133 mg/dL). Any coded ECG abnormality was positively associated with higher baseline HIV viral load (≥ 4 log₁₀ copies/mL). ECG abnormalities including sinus tachycardia and ST-T segment elevation are prevalent among Chinese HIV patients, which are significantly associated with immunodeficiency and HIV viral load. Routine ECG screening may be an important part of HIV clinical care in China.