title: Use of the exercise treadmill test for the assessment of cardiac risk markers in adults infected with HIV.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the association between HIV and coronary artery disease (CAD), there are no specific recommendations for the cardiovascular evaluation of the HIV-infected population. Besides being a tool for the evaluation of CAD, the exercise treadmill test (ETT) provides insights into functional capacity and autonomic function, which have been frequently affected in HIV infection, and thus may be useful in this setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-nine HIV-infected individuals without known CAD underwent ETT. Peak oxygen consumption during exercise (VO2 peak), functional capacity (in metabolic equivalents [METs]), exercise-induced ischemia, chronotropic incompetence (CI) and abnormal heart rate recovery (HRR) after exercise were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  VO2 peak was 31.4±4.8 mL/kg/min and functional capacity was 9.2±1.6 MET. CI was observed in 30.6%, and 10.2% had abnormal HRR. VO2 peak was lower in women and inversely correlated with age and body mass index. None of the patients displayed ischemic changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although functional capacity was good, risk markers such as CI and abnormal HRR were not infrequent. This study identifies a subgroup of HIV-infected patients-the older, overweight, or obese-who may have higher risk and deserve cardiovascular screening with the ETT.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Cardiology, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. andlorenzo@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Lorenzo
authors.forename: Vanderson
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Meirelles
authors.forename: Felippe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vilela
authors.forename: Fernando Cesar C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Souza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors