The chronic inflammation induced by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) contributes to increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in HIV-infected individuals. HIV-infected patients generally benefit from being treated with antiretroviral drugs, but some antiretroviral agents have side effects, such as dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia. There is general consensus that antiretroviral drugs induce a long-term risk of CHD, although the levels of that risk are somewhat controversial. The intention of this cross-sectional study was to describe the lipid profile and the long-term risk of CHD among HIV-positive outpatients at an HIV treatment clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe. Two hundred and fifteen patients were investigated (females n=165, mean age 39.8 years; males n=50; mean age 42.0 years). Thirty of the individuals were antiretroviral-naïve and 185 had been on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for a mean 3.9±3.4 years. All participants had average lipid and glucose values within normal ranges, but there was a small difference between the ART and ART-for total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Those on a combination of D4T or ZDV/NVP/3TC and PI-based ART were on average oldest and had the highest TC levels. Framingham risk showed 1.4% prevalence of high CHD risk within the next ten years. After univariate analysis age, sex, TC/HDL ratio, HDL, economic earnings and systolic BP were associated with medium to high risk of CHD. After multivariate regression analysis and adjusting for age or sex only age, sex and economic earnings were associated with medium to high risk of CHD. There is small risk of developing CHD, during the next decade in HIV infected patients at an HIV treatment clinic in Harare.

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HIV infection, together with ART, is associated with changes in biochemical, metabolic parameters and lipid profiles. The aim of this study was to compare changes in lipid profiles among HIV positive outpatients over nine months. 171 patients were investigated, 79% were ART experienced, and 82% of ART experienced patients were on NVP/EFV first line at baseline, but some patients changed ART groups over follow-up and classification was based on intent to treat. More than 60% ART naïve and ART experienced patients had some form of dyslipidemia either at baseline or at follow-up, but mean lipid values for the two groups were within normal limits. At baseline and follow-up, mean levels of TC and HDL were slightly higher in the ART experienced group. Interestingly, there was higher increase in HDL over time in the ART negative group compared to the ART positive group. There was a decrease in TC/HDL ratio in both groups over time, suggesting a reduction in calculated risk of CHD over time. HIV positive patients frequently show various forms of dyslipidemia, but there are no changes in average atherogenic lipid levels and results suggest reduced risk of CHD, mainly due to increases in HDL, after nine months of observation time.

Background:Dyslipidemia does not occur in all HIV-infected or antiretroviral therapy-experienced patients suggesting role of host genetic factors but there is paucity of data on association between dyslipidemia and gene polymorphisms in Zimbabwe.Objective:To determine association of lipoprotein levels and apolipoprotein B polymorphisms in HIV-infected adults.Method:Demographic data were collected from 103 consenting patients; lipoprotein levels were determined and blood samples were successfully genotyped for both apolipoprotein B 2488C>T Xba1 and apolipoprotein B 4154G>A p.Gln4154Lys EcoR1 polymorphisms by real time polymerase chain reaction.Results:Mean age of genotyped patients was 40.3 ± 10.1 years, 68% were female; prevalence of dyslipidemia was 67.4%. Of 103 samples genotyped for apolipoprotein B Xba1 polymorphism, 76 (74%) were homozygous C/C, 24 (23%) were heterozygous C/T and only three (3%) were homozygous T/T. Apolipoprotein B EcoR1 polymorphism showed little variability, one participant had rare genotype A/A, 68.3% had wild type genotype G/G.Conclusion:Observed frequencies of apolipoprotein B XbaI and EcoRI polymorphisms matched other African studies. In spite of low numbers of rare variants, there was positive association between both total cholestrol and high density lipoprotein with ECoR1 wild type G/G genotype, suggesting that ECoRI 4154 G allele could be more protective against coronary heart disease than EcoR1 4154 A allele. There is need for further research at population level to confirm whether apolipoprotein B ECoR1 genotyping is useful for predicting risk of dyslipidemia in HIV patients in our setting.

Aims Data characterizing risk factors and long-term outcome studies on HIV-associated pulmonary hypertension (PH) in Africa are lacking. Methods The Pan African Pulmonary Hypertension Cohort, a multinational registry of 254 consecutive patients diagnosed with PH (97% of African descent) from nine centres in four African countries was implemented. We compared baseline characteristics and three-year survival of an HIV-infected cohort newly diagnosed with PH (PH/HIV+) to an HIV-uninfected cohort with PH (PH/HIV-). Results 134 participants with PH completed follow-up (47 PH/HIV + and 87 PH/HIV-; age/median 36 vs 44 years; p = 0.0004). Cardiovascular risk factors and co-morbidities were similar except for previous tuberculosis (62% vs 18%, p < 0.0001). Six-minute walk distance (6MWD) < 300 meters was common in PH/HIV- (p = 0.0030), but PH/HIV + had higher heart (p = 0.0160) and respiratory (p = 0.0374) rates. Thirty-six percent of PH/HIV + and 15% of PH/HIV- presented with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) (p = 0.0084), whereas 36% of PH/HIV + and 72% of PH/HIV- exhibited PH due to left heart disease (PHLHD) (p = 0.0009). PH due to lung diseases and hypoxia (PHLD) was frequent in PH/HIV + (36% vs 15%) but did not reach statistical significance. HIV-associated PAH tended to have a poorer survival rate compared to PHLHD/PHLD in HIV-infected patients. Conclusion PH/HIV + patients were younger and commonly had previous tuberculosis compared to PH/HIV- patients. Despite a better 6MWD at presentation, they had more signs and symptoms of early onset heart failure and a worse survival rate. Early echocardiography assessment should be performed in HIV-infected patients with history of tuberculosis who present with signs and symptoms of heart failure or post-tuberculosis lung disease.