Abnormal body fat distribution and type of antiretroviral therapy as predictors of cardiovascular disease risk in HIV-infected patients

• Published in: Medicina clínica Vol. 122; no. 19; p. 721
• Main Authors: Ena, Javier, Benito, Concepción, Llácer, Pau, Pasquau, Francisco, Amador, Concepción
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Spain 22.05.2004
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Anti-HIV Agents - adverse effects; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; HIV Infections - complications; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Protease Inhibitors - adverse effects; HIV-Associated Lipodystrophy Syndrome - complications; HIV-Associated Lipodystrophy Syndrome - etiology; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Risk Factors
• ISSN: 0025-7753
• DOI: 10.1157/13062189

Dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and body fat redistribution are respectively short and long-term complications of protease inhibitor-containing antiretroviral regimens. To establish whether differences in the type of antiretroviral therapy (protease-containing or protease-sparing) or the presence and severity of body fat redistribution, explained differences in cardiovascular risk, we undertook a cross-sectional study. The study was carried out in 219 consecutive HIV-infected patients attending an outpatient HIV clinic between February and April, 2002. Age, sex, smoking status, weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure, antihypertensive treatment, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose concentrations, in addition to changes in body fat distribution were measured in 31 HIV-infected patients with no antiretroviral therapy, 35 HIV-infected patients treated with protease inhibitor-sparing regimens, and 153 HIV-infected patients treated with protease inhibitor-containing regimens. A ten-year cardiovascular disease risk was estimated according to the Framingham score. Patients treated with protease inhibitor-containing regimens as well as patients treated with protease inhibitor-sparing agents showed higher concentrations of cholesterol (p < 0.001), triglycerides (p = 0.004), glucose (p = 0.028), and greater changes in body fat distribution (p = 0.001) than patients with no antiretroviral therapy. An abnormal body fat distribution score was more strongly associated (p < 0.001) with the estimated 10-year cardiovascular disease risk than the type of HAART (p = 0.036). Ten-year cardiovascular disease risk increased linearly from 7.48% to 11.16% and to 19.50% in patients with no or mild, moderate and severe lipodystrophy scores, respectively. The results of this study encourage the use of cardiovascular preventive strategies in HIV-infected patients with severe lipodystrophy.