Cardiovascular risk and D-dimer levels in HIV-infected ART-naïve Africans

Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy
Ana Olga MocumbiNick Kim

Abstract

Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has decreased morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected individuals. With the adoption of the 90-90-90 strategy prevention and control of non-communicable disease, particularly knowledge of the burden and profile of cardiovascular disease, will become increasingly important. Our study assessed cardiovascular risk among recently diagnosed HIV-infected ART-naïve patients in a first referral urban hospital in a low-income country in sub-Saharan Africa. HIV-positive ART-naïve patients were submitted to cardiovascular risk assessment, clinical history, physical examination and laboratory workout, including 12-lead electrocardiography, portable transthoracic echocardiography, glycemia, lipidemia, hemogram and D-dimers. Three years after the diagnosis their vital status and occurrence of major cardiovascular events was assessed. We recruited 70 patients, all of black ethnicity (41 females; mean age 37±10.7). CD4 levels were very low (mean 21.3 cells/mL; SD 10.4). Twenty-one (26.6%) were overweight, 13 (16.7%) were obese, 19 (20.5%) had hyperglycemia and 20 patients (25.6%) had hypercholesterolemia. The median blood pressure was 119.5/79 mmHg (IQR 107-141/67-83); 20 patients (25.6%) had hypertension. Four (5...Continue Reading

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