Left Ventricular Function, Epicardial Adipose Tissue, and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Children and Adolescents With Vertical HIV Infection

Background: Life expectancy of HIV patients has increased considerably as a result of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and cardiovascular (CV) disease has emerged as an important late concern. People with HIV infection could have an impaired systolic function; however data on diastolic function and markers of CV risk, such as epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and intima-media thickness (IMT), are lacking. Aim of this study is to evaluate left ventricular function, EAT, and IMT in children and adolescents with vertically acquired HIV infection. Methods: We enrolled 29 subjects on ART (13, 45% men; median age of 13.0, and interquartile range 9–18), and 29 age-matched controls. All patients and controls underwent echocardiographic evaluation, with study of the systolic and diastolic function and measurement of the EAT, and a carotid ultrasound study for IMT measurement. Results: Comparing HIV-infected patients to healthy controls, we found a statistically significant increase of EAT and IMT (mean ± SD) (EAT: 3.16 ± 1.05 vs 1.24 ± 0.61 mm; P
Source: JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes - Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Clinical Science Source Type: research