“…It was therefore concluded that increasing sets of data support the hypothesis of a relationship between HIV infection and coronary atherosclerosis independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, suggesting that persistent inflammation, incomplete immune reconstitution, and residual viral replication might all contribute to increased CAD in HIV-infected individuals. 17,[22][23][24][25] The link between inflammation, virus replication, and ART can also be identified in the setting of HIV-associated metabolic diseases, in which active virus replication can cause proatherogenic elevations in serum lipids, an increase in systemic inflammation, hypercoagulation, and reduced endovascular reactivity. 13,26 In addition, HIV-infected individuals receiving ART may experience various metabolic complications (i.e., impaired glucose metabolism, dyslipidemia, and abnormal body fat distribution), thus potentially increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease.…”