title: Prevalence and incidence of left ventricular dysfunction in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection.
abstract: The prevalence and incidence of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction was examined in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Sixty-nine randomly selected patients diagnosed with HIV infection who were followed in HIV clinics were prospectively evaluated by 2-dimensional echocardiography. Mean follow-up duration was 11 months. Additionally, 39 consecutive HIV-infected patients referred to the Cardiomyopathy Service and found to have LV dysfunction by 2-dimensional echocardiography were also studied. Of the 39 referred patients, 34 (87%) were referred for recent onset, unexplained, congestive heart failure. During this time, the HIV clinic population comprised 1,819 alive and actively followed patients; the 39 cardiomyopathy referrals therefore constituted a crude rate of 2.1% for this population. Of the 69 prospectively studied patients without clinical heart disease, a 14.5% prevalence of global LV hypokinesia and an incidence of 18%/patient-year were found. During a maximal 18-month follow-up period, 4 prospective patients (5.8%) developed symptoms of congestive heart failure. A greater proportion of prospective and referred patients with LV dysfunction had CD4 counts < 100/mm3 (62 and 79%, respectively) than did that of those without LV dysfunction (35%). In conclusion, the high rate of unexpected LV dysfunction in this HIV-infected population suggests that early cardiac contractile abnormalities may involve a significant number of patients, most of whom have low CD4 counts. A subgroup of these patients appears to progress to symptomatic congestive heart failure.
authors: Department of Medicine, School of Public Health and Hygiene, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Herskowitz
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Vlahov
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Willoughby
authors: R E
authors: RE
authors: Chaisson
authors: S P
authors: SP
authors: Schulman
authors: D A
authors: DA
authors: Neumann
authors: K L
authors: KL
authors: Baughman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left