People with HIV at higher risk of heart failure

Reuters Health - 20/01/2022 - People infected with HIV are at increased risk of heart failure, with women, younger people and Asian or Pacific Islanders at highest risk, according to a new study.

"Cardiovascular disease has been an important concern for people with HIV for many, many years," Dr. Michael J. Silverberg of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research said in a press release. "Most of the research in this area has focused on the risk of stroke and heart attacks. With this study, we now see the cardiovascular impacts for people with HIV extend to end-stage conditions such as heart failure."

Dr. Silverberg and his colleagues identified more than 38,000 Kaiser Permanente members who had HIV and were Kaiser Permanente members over a 17-year period in Northern California, Southern California, and the Mid-Atlantic region.

They matched each HIV patient with 10 other members from the same geographic area who were similar in age, sex, and race or ethnicity, but who did not have HIV. The mean age for all participants was 41, with 12% women, 21% Black, 21% Hispanic and 4% Asian or Pacific Islander.

During a median follow-up of 3.8 years, the rate (per 100 person-years) of incident heart failure was 0.23 in persons living with HIV compared with 0.15 in those without HIV (P<0.001). People with HIV had a higher heart failure rate (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.57 to 1.91).

The adjusted risk of HF in persons living with HIV was greater for people 40 or younger (aHR, 2.45), women (aHR, 2.48), and Asians or Pacific Islanders (aHR, 2.46).

"In terms of young people, it's possible that they had fewer other complicating health issues, which made heart failure stand out," co-author Dr. Alan S. Go, also of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, said in a press release, "In women, preliminary data suggest HIV may have a greater impact on their cardiac function than it does in men, due in part to hormonal regulation and enhanced myocardial fibrosis, but that needs to be investigated further. And, overall, not a lot is known about cardiac issues and HIV among Asians and Pacific Islanders."

"The study also showed that the higher heart failure risk was not because people with HIV had more risk factors for heart disease or just experienced more heart attacks," said Dr. Go. "In fact, there was a higher prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease among those without HIV."

SOURCE: https://bit.ly/3tEAEgF Mayo Clinic Proceedings, online December 13, 2021.

By Reuters Staff



Posted on 20 January, 20228 February, 2022