Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012;17(4):763-7.
doi: 10.3851/IMP1994. Epub 2011 Dec 7.

Non-calcified coronary plaque volume inversely related to CD4(+) T-cell count in HIV infection

Horacio Duarte  1 , Jatin R Matta, Nancy Muldoon, Henry Masur, Colleen Hadigan, Ahmed M Gharib
Affiliations

Non-calcified coronary plaque volume inversely related to CD4(+) T-cell count in HIV infection

Horacio Duarte et al. Antivir Ther. 2012.

Abstract

Background: Non-calcified coronary artery plaque (NCAP) might be an important predictor of cardiovascular events; however, few studies have directly measured NCAP in HIV-infected individuals.

Methods: We completed a prospective cross-sectional evaluation of NCAP and coronary calcium scores using computed tomography angiography in HIV-infected patients (n=26) without known coronary artery disease (CAD), but who had one or more CAD risk factor(s), and compared them with controls matched on age, race, sex, body mass index and Framingham Risk Score (n=26).

Results: There was no difference in coronary calcium scores (114 ± 218 versus 124 ± 298; P=0.89) or NCAP volume (65 ± 86 mm(3) versus 63 ± 82 mm(3); P=0.38) between HIV-infected patients and controls, respectively. Among HIV-infected patients, lower CD4(+) T-cell count was associated with increased NCAP volume (r=-0.52, P=0.006). The CD4(+) T-cell count remained a significant predictor of NCAP in a multivariate analysis that adjusted for age and duration of antiretroviral therapy.

Conclusions: Plaque burden is similar between HIV-infected and uninfected individuals when matched on traditional CAD risk factors; however, immune function might mediate the development of atherosclerosis in HIV infection.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

COI: Authors have no conflicts to report

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Representative non-calcified soft plaque of coronary artery (white arrows) in a subject with HIV, FRS 20% and Calcium Score=11.4
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Friis-Moller N, Reiss P, Sabin CA, Weber R, Monforte A, El-Sadr W, Thiebaut R, De Wit S, Kirk O, Fontas E, Law MG, Phillips A, Lundgren JD. Class of antiretroviral drugs and the risk of myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med. 2007;356:1723–1735. - PubMed
    1. Triant VA, Lee H, Hadigan C, Grinspoon SK. Increased acute myocardial infarction rates and cardiovascular risk factors among patients with human immunodeficiency virus disease. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007;92:2506–2512. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kuller LH, Tracy R, Belloso W, De Wit S, Drummond F, Lane HC, Ledergerber B, Lundgren J, Neuhaus J, Nixon D, Paton NI, Neaton JD. Inflammatory and coagulation biomarkers and mortality in patients with HIV infection. PLoS Med. 2008;5:e203. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sabin CA, Worm SW, Weber R, Reiss P, El-Sadr W, Dabis F, De Wit S, Law M, D'Arminio Monforte A, Friis-Moller N, Kirk O, Pradier C, Weller I, Phillips AN, Lundgren JD. Use of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and risk of myocardial infarction in HIV-infected patients enrolled in the D:A:D study: a multi-cohort collaboration. Lancet. 2008;371:1417–1426. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Grunfeld C, Delaney JA, Wanke C, Currier JS, Scherzer R, Biggs ML, Tien PC, Shlipak MG, Sidney S, Polak JF, O'Leary D, Bacchetti P, Kronmal RA. Preclinical atherosclerosis due to HIV infection: carotid intima-medial thickness measurements from the FRAM study. AIDS. 2009;23:1841–1849. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances