More Evidence That HIV Elite Controllers Have Increased Atherosclerosis

A new study suggests that activation of immune cells, including monocytes, may play a role in accelerating coronary artery plaque formation in HIV elite controllers.

HIV-positive patients have a higher rate of coronary artery disease than their HIV-negative peers, but the various potential reasons — deleterious effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART), virus-induced inflammation, and persistent immune activation — have been difficult to disentangle.

To study this issue without the potentially confounding effects of ART or high-level HIV replication, investigators compared atherosclerosis rates in three groups: 10 HIV elite controllers (patients with HIV infection who have maintained undetectable viral loads without taking ART), 103 patients with chronic HIV infection who were receiving ART, and 49 HIV-negative individuals. The three groups were similar with respect to cardiovascular risk factors, although…

Reviewing Author

Rajesh T. Gandhi, MD

More Evidence That HIV Elite Controllers Have Increased Atherosclerosis

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Reviewing Author