Mild dilated cardiomyopathy and increased left ventricular mass predict mortality: the prospective P2C2 HIV Multicenter Study.
BACKGROUND
Many HIV-infected children die with cardiac abnormalities. We sought to understand the course of these HIV-associated abnormalities and their impact on all-cause mortality.


METHODS
We describe longitudinal changes in left ventricular (LV) structure and function and mortality in 185 children vertically infected with HIV. Serial cardiac data were obtained from 0.1 to 10 years of age. Age- or body surface area-adjusted z scores were calculated for 10 echocardiographic outcomes.


RESULTS
Median age at first echocardiogram was 2 years (range 0.2-9.4 years); median follow-up was 3.6 years (range 0-6.3 years). The 5-year cumulative incidence of congestive heart failure was 12.3%. Mean fractional shortening z scores declined from -0.65 at 1 year of age to -1.47 at 3 years of age without further decline between 3 and 10 years of age. Among children with 2 echocardiograms performed in the first year of follow-up, mild LV dysfunction (fractional shortening of < -2 SD on both echocardiograms) was present in 29 (18%) of 158 children. For these 29 children, the 5-year mortality was 55.4%. Left ventricular mass z scores were elevated at 1 year (mean z score 0.68, P < .001) and remained elevated throughout follow-up. In the 8 children with LV mass z score of > 2 SD on both initial and follow-up echocardiograms, the 5-year mortality was 75%.


CONCLUSIONS
In HIV-infected children, LV structure and function progressively deteriorated in the first 3 years of life, resulting in subsequent persistent mild LV dysfunction and increased LV mass. Chronic mild depression of LV function and elevated LV mass were associated with higher all-cause mortality.
Fisher
Stacy D
SD
Midatlantic Cardiology Associates, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Easley
Kirk A
KA
Orav
E John
EJ
Colan
Steven D
SD
Kaplan
Samuel
S
Starc
Thomas J
TJ
Bricker
J Timothy
JT
Lai
Wyman W
WW
Moodie
Douglas S
DS
Sopko
George
G
Lipshultz
Steven E
SE
D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018450:Disease Progression; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality*; D007223:Infant; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index