02/19/10

PRN Report from 17th CROI: Smoking Cessation, Diet & Exercise Reduce Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Additional information regarding medical comborbidities of HIV disease and treatment from the D:A:D study was presented at CROI 2010 yesterday in San Francisco.

Dr. Kathy Petoumenos discussed the effect that smoking cessation had on cardiovascular disease in HIV infected patients over time. As was previously known from D:A:D data, rates of smoking in HIV-infected patients are quite high and smoking is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The effect of smoking cessation on rates of myocardial infarction (MI), coronary heart disease (CHD), CVD (carotid disease or stroke), and all cause mortality were evaluated over the study period. At one year after cessation of smoking cessation, rates of CVD, MI and CHD decreased from 53 events to 33 events. By 2-3 years of smoking cessation, only 19 events were recorded.

Dr. Signe Worm presented data on the effect that increased triglycerides (TG) had on rates of MI in patients enrolled in D:A:D. Elevated levels of TG are noted in patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART), but it has been unclear whether they provide prognostic information on MI risk once total cholesterol (TC) and HDL-Cholesterol (HDL) are taken into account. Dr. Worm’s analysis showed that even after adjusting for TC and HDL, higher TG levels were independently associated with an increased risk of MI in HIV-infected person, although prognosis based on TG levels is limited after TG and HDL are accounted for.

This additional information from the D:A:D provides more support for strong campaigns for smoking cessation as well as diet and exercise modifications to reduce of rates of CVD in patients infected with HIV.

Reference:

Kathy Petoumenos et al. Rates of Cardiovascular Disease following Smoking Cessation in Patients with HIV Infection: Results from the D:A:D study. Present at 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections; San Francisco, CA. Oral Abstract 124.

Signe Worm et al. Triglycerides and the Risk of Myocardial Infarction in the D:A:D study. Presented at 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections; San Francisco, CA. Oral Abstract 127.

Source: Reporting from San Francisco for PRN News: A.C. Demidont, DO