HIV infection is estimated to cause symptomatic heart failure in 8% to 10% of patients over a 2- to 5-year period, while HAART may increase the risk of peripheral and coronary arterial diseases.
While HAART improves overall survival in HIV patients, it introduces new cardiovascular risks including coronary and peripheral arterial diseases, compounding the baseline risk of HIV-related heart failure.
S tudies published over the past 3 years have tracked the incidence and course of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in relation to cardiac illness in both children and adults. The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS estimates that 36.1 million people were living with HIV infection at the end of the year 2000. 2 If 8% to 10% of patients develop symptomatic heart failure over a 2-to 5-year period, 3 then 3 million cases of HIV-related heart failure will present during that period. On one hand, HAART has significantly modified the course of HIV disease, lengthened survival, and improved the quality of life of HIV-infected patients. On the other hand, the early data have raised concerns that HAART is associated with an increase in both peripheral and coronary arterial diseases. The HAART-associated changes are relevant only to the minority of HIV-infected individuals worldwide who have access to HAART. Thus, studies conducted before HAART became available remain globally applicable.
Giuseppe Bárbaro (Tue,) conducted a review in HIV infection. HAART was evaluated. HIV infection is estimated to cause symptomatic heart failure in 8% to 10% of patients over a 2- to 5-year period, while HAART may increase the risk of peripheral and coronary arterial diseases.