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Whether abacavir influences cardiovascular risk remains an unsettled question, given the conflicting results of observational studies and the lack of a proven mechanism to explain the potential deleterious effect. Studies presented at the 5th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention provide evidence for both sides of the debate.
Roger Bedimo and colleagues reviewed data from more than 19,000 HIV-infected patients in the Veterans Affairs (VA) system, finding 278 acute myocardial infarctions (MIs) and 868 diagnoses of cerebrovascular disease [Abstract MOAB202]. No significant associations were found: The relative risk of acute MI for each year of abacavir use was 1.27 in an unadjusted analysis (P=0.06), 1.23 in an analysis …