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. 2025 Mar;30(2):e70058.
doi: 10.1111/anec.70058.

The Impact of Antiretroviral Therapy on Electrocardiographic Parameters in Human Immundeficiency Virus-Positive Patients

Ahmet Anıl Başkurt  1 , Yusuf Demir  1 , Oktay Şenöz  1
Affiliations

The Impact of Antiretroviral Therapy on Electrocardiographic Parameters in Human Immundeficiency Virus-Positive Patients

Ahmet Anıl Başkurt et al. Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has revolutionized the management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection by transforming it into a chronic but manageable condition. Despite its effectiveness in viral suppression and immune restoration, concerns remain regarding ART's potential impact on cardiovascular health, particularly on electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters.

Objective: This study investigated the effects of ART on ECG parameters in HIV-infected patients by analyzing pre- and post-therapy data.

Methods: A total of 83 HIV-positive patients were enrolled and evaluated for ECG parameters before and 3 months after ART initiation. Key parameters, including QRS duration, QT duration corrected by the Bazett formula (QTc interval), QRS-T angle, morphology in inferior leads, voltage in lead 1, and P-wave duration (MVP) score, were manually assessed. Statistical analyses compared pre- and post-ART values.

Results: No statistically significant changes were observed in ECG parameters post-ART. For example, QRS duration remained stable (pre-ART: 89.08 ± 12.01 ms; post-ART: 88.94 ± 10.00 ms, p = 0.849), as did QTc interval (pre-ART: 403.51 ± 22.22 ms; post-ART: 404.84 ± 14.91 ms, p = 0.563) and MVP ECG score (pre-ART: 3.02 ± 0.95; post-ART: 2.98 ± 0.87, p = 0.882). The QRS-T angle also showed no significant difference (p = 0.675).

Conclusion: ART does not appear to significantly affect ECG parameters in HIV-infected patients, supporting its favorable cardiac safety profile. These findings highlight the importance of regular ECG monitoring to ensure cardiovascular safety in patients undergoing ART.

Keywords: antiretroviral therapy; electrocardiogram; human immundeficiency virus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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