Atherosclerosis in HIV patients linked to infection, not treatment
Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - 14:00
in Health & Medicine
HIV infection, not antiretroviral therapy (ART), is associated with risk for atherosclerosis in patients with no history of smoking, particularly those infected for eight years or more. While a growing body of literature reports that HIV patients have higher risk for atherosclerotic disease and cardiovascular disease, it had been unknown whether HIV infection or ART are the responsible factors, and to what extent traditional cardiovascular risk factors, chiefly smoking, are responsible.