Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death Rises in People With HIV

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- People with HIV person an accrued hazard of abrupt cardiac death, a caller survey warns, particularly if the microorganism isn't well-controlled.

Sudden cardiac decease occurs erstwhile the heart unexpectedly stops beating, usually owed to an abrupt electrical malfunction.

"People living with HIV are already known to person a higher hazard of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, blood clots successful the lungs and peripheral artery disease," said pb writer Dr. Matthew Freiberg, who holds a seat successful cardiology astatine Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, successful Nashville, Tenn.

For the study, the probe squad analyzed information connected much than 144,000 U.S. veterans. Their mean property erstwhile they joined the survey was 50 years, 97% were men and astir one-third had been diagnosed with HIV.

Over a median follow-up of 9 years (meaning fractional were followed longer, fractional for little time), abrupt cardiac decease claimed the lives of 3,035 veterans. Of those, 26% had HIV.

After adjusting for a fig of factors, the researchers recovered that the hazard of abrupt cardiac decease was 14% higher wide successful those with HIV.

But the hazard was 57% higher successful veterans with HIV whose humor tests showed debased levels of infection-fighting CD4+ T-cells implicit time. That's an denotation their HIV was progressing and their immune system was compromised, the survey authors explained.

The hazard was adjacent higher (70%) successful veterans whose humor tests showed that antiretroviral therapy had not suppressed their HIV viral load implicit time.

People with HIV who had steadfast levels of CD4+ T-cells oregon debased humor levels of HIV had nary accrued hazard of abrupt cardiac death, the investigators found.

But whether oregon not the patients had HIV, the hazard of abrupt cardiac decease became progressively higher with each hazard factor, including existing bosom disease, high humor pressure, smoking, hepatitis C infection, anemia, alcohol dependence oregon abuse, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the findings showed.

The researchers said their findings item the value of keeping HIV viral levels debased and reducing bosom illness hazard factors.

"We cognize that among radical with HIV, those who person a compromised immune system, for illustration a debased full CD4+ T-cell count, they look to person a higher hazard of cardiovascular disease than those who person precocious CD4+ T-cell counts," Freiberg said.

"It is unclear if a compromised immune strategy is simply a hazard origin for abrupt cardiac death," helium added.

The findings were published Sept. 8 successful the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Senior writer Dr. Zian Tseng of the University of California, San Francisco, said addressing hazard factors related to some HIV and bosom illness is indispensable to preventing abrupt cardiac decease successful patients with HIV.

"Clinicians should see screening for circumstantial informing signs of abrupt cardiac decease specified arsenic fainting oregon bosom palpitations," Tseng said successful a diary quality release. "And, if indicated, clinicians should petition further investigating specified arsenic echocardiograms oregon continuous bushed monitoring."

The researchers said their findings whitethorn not use to women.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has much connected sudden cardiac death.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Heart Association, quality release, Sept. 8, 2021