Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection and cardiovascular disease

Abstract

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus belonging to the family of lentiviruses. Retroviruses are so named because they reverse the normal flow of genetic information. In all cellular organisms the genetic material is DNA. Retroviruses use their RNA and host DNA to make viral DNA. Infection with HIV causes severe damage to the immune system leading to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Individuals infected with HIV show both cellular and humoral (antibody) immune responses to the virus, but these responses are unable to prevent the ultimate progression of disease in the great majority of infected individuals. Depletion of CD4 lymphocytes is the hallmark of HIV infection, and predicts an individual's risk for infection with opportunistic pathogens as well as other complications of HIV disease. There is a great association of HIV and cardiovascular disease due to a higher prevalence of underlying traditional cardiovascular risk factors that are mostly host dependent. Most of the HIV drugs increase the chances of cardiovascular diseases in the patients especially protease inhibitors. Chronic inflammation, hypercoagulability and platelet activation all contribute to endothelial dysfunction, and are a probable link between HIV and cardiovascular disease.

Assessment of protein s and c level and its relationship with health-related factors in people living with hiv: a cross-sectional study

“…AIDS is a life-threatening issue with a high morbidity and mortality rate, so it has attracted tremendous attention worldwide. In 2012, approximately 34 million people were infected with HIV worldwide [6,9,10,19]. Furthermore, 37.9 million (38.4 to 43.8 million) people were living with HIV at the end of 2021, and WHO reported an estimated 53,000 cases of infection in Iran, with a range of 38 000 to 140 000 [11,13].…”