Carotid and brachial artery wall thickness measurement in individuals living with HIV and its relationship with cardiovascular disease risk

Objective: In our study, it was aimed to investigate whether HIV infection has any effect on carotid and brachial artery intima media thickness (IMT) and whether carotid and brachial artery IMT measurement contributes to traditional cardiovascular risk scoring in individuals living with HIV. Materials and Methods: The patient group was formed from 66 HIV-infected people followed up in Ankara City Hospital Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Clinic, and the control group was formed from 40 non-HIV-infected patients who were age-sex matched with the patient group. CIMT measurement was performed with B-mode USG in the groups. cIMT 0.9 mm and above was considered subclinical atherosclerosis. Framingham risk score (FRS) and D: A: D scores calculated. Results: The median cIMT of the patient and control groups was 0.92 (0.45-1.45) mm and 0.55 (0.35-1.25) mm, respectively, with a significant difference (p<0.001). Brachial artery IMT was similarly significantly higher in the patient group (0.45 (0.30-0.76) mm and 0.35 (0.17-0.50) mm in the patient and control groups, respectively; p<0.001). When the participants in the patient and control groups were divided into two groups, aged below 40 years and older, cIMT and brachial artery IMT results were higher in the patient group (p<0.001 for each). In the patient group, subclinical atherosclerosis was detected with cIMT in individuals under 30 years of age for whom FRS could not be calculated and in low-risk groups compared to FRS (subclinical atherosclerosis rates; 20%, 62.9%, respectively). Conclusion: cIMT and brachial artery IMT were found to be significantly higher in HIV-infected individuals, who are known to have a higher CVD risk compared to the normal population, compared to uninfected individuals. The cIMT measurement seems to be very useful in calculating the CVD risk in individuals living with HIV, especially at young ages, in catching patients who are overlooked by traditional scoring systems. Key Words: brachial artery IMT, carotid IMT, D:A:D, FRS, HIV