D-Dimer Levels Remain Elevated After Starting ART, Linked to Increased Risk for Non-AIDS Events

In the era of effective HIV therapy, HIV-infected individuals experience greater morbidity and mortality from non-AIDS events than from AIDS-defining events. Higher D-dimer levels, a marker of inflammation and hypercoagulation, have been linked to an increased risk for non-AIDS events in HIV+ people. In this study, researchers measured D-dimer and interleukin (IL)-6 (a marker of inflammation) levels in stored blood specimens from a cohort of HIV+ military personnel or their beneficiaries, for whom samples were available pre-HIV seroconversion, ≥6 months post-HIV seroconversion, and ≥6 months post–ART initiation, and who had documented HIV suppression on two successive clinic visits. To minimize confounding, anyone with pre-existing hepatiti…