title: The hemostatic balance in HIV-infected patients with and without antiretroviral therapy: partial restoration with antiretroviral therapy.
abstract: The incidence of arterial and venous thrombosis in HIV-infected patients is increased compared to healthy controls. In this cross-sectional analysis we measured markers of endothelial cell activation, thrombin generation, fibrinolysis and anticoagulation combined with endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) and activated protein C sensitivity ratio (APCsr) as more global markers. We included 160 consecutive HIV-infected patients with a median age of 46 years (range, 27-77), of whom 92% were male, 74% Caucasian, 11% African American, 9% Hispanic, and 6% Asian. Homosexual contact was the main transmission mode. Seventy percent of patients were using combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). In 83% of patients laboratory markers outside the normal range for a non-HIV-infected population were observed. Significant lower levels of von Willebrand factor (vWF; p = 0.03), factor VIII (p < 0.0001), D-dimer (p = 0.01), and ETP (p = 0.01) were observed in HIV-infected patients on cART compared to patients not on cART. Significant lower levels of protein C (p = 0.05) and free protein S (p < 0.0001), and increased APCsr (p < 0.0001) were found in the HIV-infected patients not on cART. A single association was observed between raised levels of fibrinogen and use of a protease inhibitor (p = 0.002). No significant difference was observed in the percentage of patients with laboratory markers outside the normal range between patients using cART-regimens containing abacavir, stavudine, or didanosine and those with other nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Although the prevalence of coagulation abnormalities was lower in HIV-infected patients using cART, a considerable proportion of HIV-infected patients on cART show endothelial cell activation and increased APCsr, suggestive of a persistent procoagulant state.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Slotervaart Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. eefje.jong@slz.nl
authors.forename: Eefje
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jong
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Louw
authors.forename: Joost C M
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Meijers
authors.forename: Martijn D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: de Kruif
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: ten Cate
authors.forename: Harry R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Büller
authors.forename: Jan Willem
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.forename: Eric C M
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: van Gorp
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001778:Blood Coagulation Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents