a b s t r a c tAim: Aim of this study was to evaluate cardiovascular risk in HIV-infected patients treated with atazanavir or lopinavir, both boosted with ritonavir, in Poland. Background: Introduction into clinical practice of cART has succeeded in decline in AIDS-related mortality and extended the life expectancy of patients living with HIV/AIDS. Observed, anyhow, side effects such as dyslipidemia and, as a result, cardiovascular disease seems to become predominant cause of mortality in this population. Materials and methods: The study was a retrospective data analysis of HIV infected patients on ATV/r or LPV/r, treated between 1st of November 2004 and 31st of March 2009, and continued this treatment for at least 24 weeks. Results: The study population included 328 patients (82 women and 246 men) within age range between 23 and 75 years (mean 38.5 ± 9.2 years) divided into two groups: group A (148 patients on atazanavir 300 mg + ritonavir 100 mg/d) and group B (180 patients treated with lopinavir/ritonavir 800/200 mg/d).Changes in the level of cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose were significantly different in the treatment groups (p-value: 0.01, 0.009, 0.02 respectively). SCORE scale increase during observation did not differ statistically (p = 0.53). Increase in cholesterol and triglyceride levels was higher in the group B (17.0% vs 7.8% and 41.5% vs 16.8%) while the increase in the level of glucose was in the group A (5.2% vs 0.7%). Conclusion: The study confirms differences in CV risk factors between different cART drugs and this should be considered during initiation of the therapy.