Important note: Information in this article was accurate in May 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, May 1, 2000
Prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports
Julian Falutz and Diane Turcot investigated cardiac risk factors in HIV positive men who were on various HAART regimens. The results of their findings were presented at the 49th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in Anaheim, California, in a presentation entitled "Cardiovascular Risk Profile in the HIV/HAART Lipodystrophy (HAL) Syndrome."
HAL syndrome is associated with dyslipedimia, insulin resistance, and changes in body fat distribution, according to the investigators.
Study results indicated that factors that would have independently increased the risk for cardiac disease such as smoking cigarettes, hypertension, diabetes, or family history of cardiac disease were essentially the same in men with HAL and without HAL. None of the men were obese.
The patients, all of whom were on HAART, had very similar CD4 T-cell counts: with HAL = 310/mm3 and without HAL = 360/mm3.
"In patients without HAL, 1/13 (8%) had an elevated Apo-B level vs. 7/23 (30%) in those with HAL (p=0.21)," Falutz and Turcot said.
In addition, on the basis of certain cardiac risk factors and blood lipid levels, twice as many HAL patients were candidates for lipid lowering treatment as those without HAL. Unfortunately, only a few of these patients were receiving appropriate therapy.
Ultimately, Falutz and Turcot determined that there is a high risk for cardiac disease for HIV patients on HAART with HAL. When patients do acquire this syndrome, it often goes unrecognized and untreated. The study authors suggest that medical practitioners should evaluate patients on HAART for HAL to possibly prevent long-term risks of cardiac disease.
The corresponding author for this study is Julian Falutz, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Key points reported in this study are:
This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
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