Selenium deficiency and HIV-associated cardiomyopathy.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Giuseppe Barbaro.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Vascular complications in the course of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are multifactorial and may be caused by the virus itself or by the related opportunistic infections and neoplasms. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which dramatically modifies the natural history of HIV disease, causes in a high proportion of patients a metabolic syndrome that includes body fat redistribution, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia and insulin resistance. These effects are particularly evident in patients treated with protease inhibitors (PIs). However, studies on the cardiovascular risk among HIV-infected individuals receiving PIs have not shown a consistent association. The pathogenesis of the HAART-associated metabolic syndrome has not been completely elucidated, but there is growing evidence that a synergistic effect between PIs and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors might play a significant role. All HIV-infected patients candidate to antiretroviral therapy and patients already under treatment should undergo an assessment that includes the evaluation of the cardiovascular risk with the available guidelines.
The clinical management of HIV-infected individuals is based on highly active antiretroviral combination therapy, which provides significant clinical benefit in most patients, but causes in a high proportion of them a metabolic syndrome that includes body fat redistribution, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and insulin resistance. These effects are particularly evident in patients treated with protease inhibitors. It is likely that the metabolic disorders related to anti-HIV treatment will eventually translate into an increased cardiovascular risk in patients submitted to such regimens.
The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has significantly modified the course of HIV disease, with longer survival and improved quality of life of HIV-infected subjects. However, HAART regimens, especially those including protease inhibitors (PIs) have been shown to cause in a high proportion of HIV-infected patients a metabolic syndrome that may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (about 1.4 cardiac events per 1,000 years of therapy according to the Framingham score). Metabolic features associated with somatic changes (lipodystrophy/lipoatrophy) include dyslipidemia (about 70% of patients), insulin resistance (elevated C-peptide and insulin), type 2 diabetes mellitus (8%-10% of the patients), hypertension (up to 75% of patients), coagulation abnormalities (25% of patients), lactic acidemia, and elevated hepatic transaminases (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis). HAART-associated metabolic syndrome is an increasingly recognized clinical entity. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for this syndrome will lead to the discovery of new drugs that will reduce the cardiovascular risk in patients under HAART. A careful stratification of the cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular monitoring of patients under HAART is needed according to the most recent clinical guidelines.
Better treatment and supportive care are prolonging the lives of patients with HIV, which is resulting in a higher prevalence of long-term effects of HIV. Autopsy and echocardiography studies support frequent involvement of the heart in advanced stages of HIV infection. The most common cardiac manifestations of HIV are dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, pulmonary hypertension, pericardial effusion, endocarditis, HIV-associated malignant neoplasms, and drug-related cardiotoxicity. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has prolonged many patients' lives, but many cardiac sequelae of HIV are not affected by HAART and continue to develop even with treatment. In addition, HAART itself may be associated with an increase in peripheral artery and coronary artery diseases. This review focuses on the most recent knowledge about HIV-associated cardiovascular disease. Careful cardiovascular evaluation in the course of HIV disease can identify cardiac complications early enough to treat. In addition, the study of HIV-related cardiovascular disease may shed light on the mechanisms of non-HIV-related cardiovascular disease.