Re: HIV and Heart Issues....???

[Guest guest]

I am going to summarize what most articles will take pages to say.

Boosted protease inhibitors have been found to add about 26% more risk (D.A.D. data). Most of it is due to higher lipids caused by Norvir and some of the protease inhibitors themselves. The risks of non nukes seem small.  The risks of integrase inhibitors are yet to be estimated, but are presumed to be low also.

HIV left untreated probably raises cardiovascular risk over 50% or more ( no one has quantified it completely, but the SMART study shed some light on this). Virus replication causes inflammation not only to heart tissue but also blood vessels. (Note: untreated HIV infection usually causes low lipids, in particular low HDL). Immune activation also increases cardiovascular risk greatly.

So, it is better to treat HIV and also manage your lipids well ( by exercise, low carb/animal fats, lipid lowering agents when life style changes fail, or by switching meds).  Both actions will reduce our cardiovascular risk when compared to untreated HIV.

On Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 12:56 PM, bullhead3031 <bullhead3031@...> wrote:

I don't quite understand the correlation between HIV and heart problems.  It seems that a physician once told me and I have read that persons who are HIV+ are more likely to have heart problems.  What I am wondering is this:  is it the HAART or the HIV which causes the heart problems???  It has to be one of the two?

If someone has hyptension along with HIV, of course they are more likely to have a problem with  their heart, but what if the hypertension is kept under control?

http://timehasshownme.com

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[Guest guest]

"I don't quite understand the correlation between HIV and heart problems. It seems that a physician once told me and I have read that persons who are HIV+ are more likely to have heart problems. What I am wondering is this: is it the HAART or the HIV which causes the heart problems??? It has to be one of the two? "One of the surprises of the SMART study, where people with HIV were removed from therapy, was a drastic increase in all-cause mortality. People dropped dead from things not thought to be HIV-related at a higher rate than those who stayed on therapy. Heart disease was one of these. It is probable that the chronic inflammation of long-term HIV infection increases heart disease risk, and HIV may damage blood vessels, as well. So, HIV itself is a big reason.On the other hand, many HAART combos lead to lipid issues, and this can contribute, as well."If someone has hyptension along with HIV, of course they are more likely to have a problem with their heart, but what if the hypertension is kept under control?"Controlling hypertension is very, very good at lowering heart disease risk.You fail to ask the obvious question: What about smoking?I consider an HIV person smoking to be suicidal behavior.JB