Impact of rosuvastatin on pulse-wave velocity in men with HIV at moderate cardiovascular risk

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• HIV infection is associated with increased cardiovascular risk.
• Statins are used to manage cardiovascular risk, but their effect on arterial stiffness in HIV patients is not fully understood.
• Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a marker of arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of 96 weeks of rosuvastatin treatment on PWV in men with HIV.
• To assess whether rosuvastatin can mitigate the increase in PWV, a marker of arterial stiffness, in this patient group.

Main Methods:

• A single-centre substudy of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
• Participants were men (n=55, age 54 years) with HIV and moderate cardiovascular risk (Framingham risk score 10-15%).
• PWV was measured at baseline and after 96 weeks of treatment with rosuvastatin or placebo.

Main Results:

• PWV increased in both the rosuvastatin (0.54 m/s) and placebo (0.50 m/s) groups over 96 weeks.
• The difference in PWV increase between the rosuvastatin and placebo arms was not statistically significant (P=0.896).
• Final PWV at week 96 was similar between groups (rosuvastatin 9.40 m/s vs. placebo 9.21 m/s, P=0.676).

Conclusions:

• Ninety-six weeks of rosuvastatin treatment did not significantly affect PWV in men with HIV at moderate cardiovascular risk.
• Rosuvastatin did not demonstrate a benefit in reducing arterial stiffness, as measured by PWV, in this specific population.
• Further research may be needed to explore other interventions for managing arterial stiffness in HIV patients.