IS THE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE DUE TO HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS INFECTION OR ITS THERAPY?

Cardiovascular disease is a class of diseases which involve the heart or blood vessels. Among Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected population, cardio-vascular disease (CVD) has been found to be the second leading cause of death. There is an increased incidence rate and prevalence of heart diseases among HIV infected population when compare to general population. Usually, the goal of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) is to suppress the virus growth which in turn reduces morbidity and mortality rate by immune reconstitution but this has been affected due to augmenting metabolic changes such as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, inflammation, impaired fibrinolysis or combinations of these factors etc., which occurs simultaneously with HIV infection resulting in an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, while making a therapeutic decision in HIV patients, individualized therapy for each patient should be based on presence of CVD risk factors. Understanding the disease severity and treatment will lead to successful management of CVD in AIDS patients. Key words: HIV, Dyslipidemia, Cardiovascular disease, Anti-retroviral therapy.