HIV Infection and Carotid Artery Intima-media Thickness: Pooled Analyses Across 5 Cohorts of the NHLBI HIV-CVD Collaborative.
Age and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment may affect the association of HIV infection with atherosclerosis.



We used identical carotid artery B-mode ultrasonographic methods in 5 cohorts participating in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute HIV-CVD Collaborative to measure intima-media thickness of the right far wall of the common carotid artery (CCA-IMT) and carotid artery bifurcation (BIF-IMT) between 2010 and 2013. Participants aged 6-75 years were either HIV infected or uninfected. Linear regression assessed associations of CCA-IMT and BIF-IMT with HIV infection and cardiovascular disease risk factors, within age and HIV treatment groups. Adjustment variables included sex, race/ethnicity, smoking, height, weight, and use of antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs.



We studied 867 HIV-infected and 338 HIV-uninfected male and 696 HIV-infected and 246 HIV-uninfected female participants. Among both middle-aged (30-49 years) and older adults (50-75 years), HIV-infected participants had CCA-IMT and BIF-IMT values that were similar to or lower than those in HIV-uninfected participants. In contrast, among those aged 6-29 years, HIV infection was associated with higher CCA-IMT and BIF-IMT values. Among HIV-infected participants, associations of higher systolic blood pressure and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol with Carotid artery intima-media thickness strengthened with age.



The effects of HIV on carotid artery structure may differ across the lifespan, with traditional determinants of cardiovascular disease burden playing a larger role and HIV playing a lesser role in older adults than in young adults and children.
Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
David B
DB
Hanna
Department of Biostatistics.
Mengye
M
Guo
Department of Biostatistics.
Petra
P
Bůžková
Department of Pediatrics, University of Miami, Florida.
Tracie L
TL
Miller
Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
Wendy S
WS
Post
Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin at Madison.
James H
JH
Stein
Department of Medicine, University of California.
Judith S
JS
Currier
Department of Biostatistics.
Richard A
RA
Kronmal
Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
Matthew S
MS
Freiberg
Department of Biostatistics.
Siiri N
SN
Bennett
Department of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu.
Cecilia M
CM
Shikuma
Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
Kathryn
K
Anastos
Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
Yanjie
Y
Li
Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Colchester.
Russell P
RP
Tracy
Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
Howard N
HN
Hodis
Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle.
Joseph A
JA
Delaney
Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
Robert C
RC
Kaplan
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
HIV infection; aging; biomarker; cardiovascular disease risk factors; carotid artery intima-media thickness