title: [Early detection of heart involvement using serial cardiologic controls in the follow-up of patients with AIDS].
abstract: New effective therapies have been producing longer survival times for HIV-patients. Thus non-infectious complications of late stage of HIV infection (such as the development of left ventricular dysfunction) have emerged; in fact cardiac involvement has been identified frequently at autopsy and is described in 80% of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) as an evidence of the virus cardiotrophism, while clinical findings of left ventricular dysfunction were only detected in about 15% of the patients. It is possible that the development of heart failure had been underestimated in those years; in fact signs and symptoms of cardiac involvement had been often misinterpreted as the results of non cardiac causes (pulmonary failure or infections) also determining a delay in the beginning of cardiac therapy. The aim of this study was to follow 16 human immunodeficiency-virus positive patients during a 3-year period to evaluate the usefulness of early detection of heart failure in order to start a specific therapy as soon as possible. The follow-up consisted of a clinical and electrocardiographic control every 4 months. Echocardiography was carried out when involvement of the cardiac muscle was suspected. During the follow-up we could reveal an early involvement in 5/16 patients (31.2%) and in 2 of them (40%) early therapy caused clinical and echocardiographic regression of left ventricular dysfunction. The present study demonstrates that periodical clinical and echocardiographic controls are useful in patients with HIV infection.
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Cardiologia, Università degli Studi Federico II, Napoli.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferraro
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gargiulo
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bellarosa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pirone
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chiariello
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mininni
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D000328:Adult; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D013997:Time Factors
vernacular_title: Riconoscimento precoce del coinvolgimento cardiaco attraverso controlli cardiologici seriati nel follow-up di pazienti con AIDS conclamato.