title: Effects of antiretroviral therapy on arterial stiffness in Cameroonian HIV-infected patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  HIV infection increases cardiovascular risk and highly active antiretroviral therapy may further augment it. We hypothesized that an increase in large artery stiffness may be a mechanism of enhanced cardiovascular risk in treated HIV-infected (HIV-T) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AI) were measured in 108 Cameroonian untreated HIV-infected (HIV-UT) patients and in 130 HIV-T patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Brachial and aortic systolic blood pressure (BP), diastolic BP, and pulse pressure were higher in HIV-T patients than in HIV-UT patients (all, P < 0.01). PWV was comparable in HIV-T and HIV-UT patients (7.2 ± 1.5 vs. 7.46 ± 2.2 m/s, respectively, P = 0.3), whereas AI was higher in HIV-T patients than in HIV-UT patients (7.9 ± 5 vs. 5.76 ± 4%, respectively, P = 0.003). AI was associated independently with age, brachial systolic BP, brachial diastolic BP, and height in HIV patients (R = 0.75, P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that pulse pressure and AI were increased in HIV-T patients, compared with matched HIV-UT patients, suggesting that highly active antiretroviral therapy could increase cardiovascular risk. However, PWV was not accelerated in HIV-T patients.
authors.affiliation: Hypertension Clinic Department, Erasme University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium. willyngatchou@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ngatchou
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lemogoum
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ndobo
authors.forename: Euloge
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yiagnigni
authors.forename: Emiline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tiogou
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nga
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kouanfack
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nde
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Degaute
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van de Borne
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leeman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002163:Cameroon; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000187:drug effects*