Progression of atherosclerosis as assessed by carotid intima-media thickness in patients with HIV infection

Background - HIV-infected patients may be at increased risk for coronary events. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in HIV patients at baseline and to measure IMT progression over 1 year. Methods and Results - We measured blood lipids, inflammatory markers, and IMT in 148 HIV-infected adults ( mean age, 45 +/- 8 years) and in 63 age- and sex-matched HIV-uninfected control subjects. The mean duration of HIV infection was 11 years, and the median duration of protease inhibitor treatment was 3.3 years. Mean baseline IMT was 0.91 +/- 0.33 mm in HIV patients and 0.74 +/- 0.17 mm in control subjects (P = 0.0001). Multivariable predictors of baseline IMT in HIV patients were age ( P < 0.001), LDL cholesterol (P < 0.001), cigarette pack-years (P = 0.005), Latino race (P = 0.062), and hypertension (P = 0.074). When the control group was added to the analysis, HIV infection was an independent predictor of IMT (P = 0.001). The rate of progression among the 121 HIV patients with a repeated IMT measurement at 1 year was 0.074 +/- 0.13 mm, compared with -0.006 +/- 0.05 mm in 27 control subjects (P = 0.002). Age (P < 0.001), Latino race (P = 0.02), and nadir CD4 count <= 200 (P = 0.082) were multivariable predictors of IMT progression. Conclusions - Carotid IMT is higher in HIV patients than in age- matched control subjects and progresses much more rapidly than previously reported rates in non-HIV cohorts. In HIV patients, carotid IMT is associated with classic coronary risk factors and with nadir CD4 count <= 200, suggesting that immunodeficiency and traditional coronary risk factors may contribute to atherosclerosis.