title: The role of C-reactive protein as a marker for cardiovascular risk associated with antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients.
abstract: C-reactive protein (CRP) has been associated with prognosis of HIV-infection, but its relationship with cardiovascular disease remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate whether CRP may be a marker of cardiovascular risk in HIV-infected patients, and to determine the influence of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on CRP levels. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 245 consecutive HIV-infected patients during a 2-month period. An extensive workup for cardiovascular risk was performed, including determination of CRP levels measured by an ultrasensitive immunoturbidimetric assay (detection limit, 0.003 mg/dl). Ninety-nine (40.4%) patients had serum CRP concentrations above 0.3 mg/dl, considered to represent individuals at high risk for developing cardiovascular complications. In univariate analysis, CRP levels correlated positively with total cholesterol (p=0.01), LDL cholesterol (p=0.001), triglycerides (p=0.04) and Framingham risk score (p=0.006), and negatively with HDL cholesterol (p=0.004). Concentrations of CRP were higher in males (p=0.05) and smokers (p=0.002). No correlation was found between CRP levels and HIV-viral load or CD4 cell counts. In multivariate analysis, independent factors associated with the highest quartile of serum CRP concentrations (0.49 mg/dl) were LDL-cholesterol (p<0.001), HDL-cholesterol (p=0.001), cigarette smoking (p=0.019) and current ART (p=0.021). Our results show that C-reactive protein is associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and may then be a marker for cardiovascular risk linked to HIV infection and ART.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Hospital General Universitario de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, Spain. marmasia@ya.com
authors.forename: Mar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masiá
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Padilla
authors.forename: María Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Graells
authors.forename: Inmaculada
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jarrín
authors.forename: María Vicenta
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Almenar
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.forename: Ildefonso
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: Félix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006678:HIV / Q000378:metabolism; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein