Background: Our aim was to identify factors predisposing HIV-infected patients on long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART) to major hypertriglyceridemia (HTG).
Patients and methods: We conducted a retrospective, case-control study involving 76 HIV-infected patients with HTG, defined by 12-hour fasting plasma triglyceride (TG) > 4.5 mmol/l on at least one occasion, and 150 HIV-infected matched control patients with TG consistently below 1.8 mmol/l.
Results: Patients coinfected by the hepatitis C virus appeared to be protected from HTG. In addition to known predisposing factors for HTG in HIV-infected patients (ART and immune/viral status), patients with a history of excess body weight were twice as likely to have HTG (odds ratio [OR] 2.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-6.9); HTG was also more frequent in patients who had a first-degree relative with cardiovascular disease (CVD) or a major risk factor for CVD (OR = 3.6, CI: 1.3-9.9).
Conclusion: By identifying subgroups of highly predisposed patients, appropriate lifestyle and dietary measures could be recommended on ART initiation.