Variability in Ventricular Repolarization Underlies Sudden Cardiac Death in Patients with HIV

Excess variability in the QT interval is associated with greater risk for sudden cardiac death in HIV patients.

Death from cardiovascular causes has emerged as a growing collateral problem in the era of antiretroviral therapy that has increased life expectancy of patients living with HIV. Patients with HIV have a 4.5-fold increased risk for sudden cardiac death, but reasons underlying this are unknown.

To determine whether the QT variability index (QTVI) — an electrophysiological biomarker of ventricular repolarization lability — is prognostic of sudden cardiac death in patients with HIV infection, investigators evaluated data from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), an ongoing prospective cohort trial of men who have sex with men. Ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring data was obtained from 589 men with HIV and 534 men without HIV. QTVI wa…

Reviewing Author

George Sakoulas, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParatek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.; AbbVie; Shionogi

Speaker’s BureauAllergan/AbbVie; Paratek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsAntimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; Open Forum Infectious Diseases