Background: The introduction of antiretroviral therapy has brought cardiac disease as a comorbidity in HIV-infected patients in particular into focus. The present study analyses the results of coronary angiography in this patient population.
Methods: Over a time period of 12 years, 101 coronary angiographies were performed in HIV-infected patients. A retrospective analysis included demographic parameters, cardiac history, cardiovascular risk factors, HIV-specific parameters including antiretroviral therapy and the results of coronary angiographies.
Results: Of the subjects included in the study, 89% were men. The mean age in the analysed population was 50.2 years at the time of coronary angiography. Patients had an elevated rate of cardiovascular risk factors including diabetes mellitus (15.9%), arterial hypertension (65.9%), hyperlipidemia (56.8 %) and smoking (68.2 %). Primary coronary angiography demonstrated coronary disease in 59.1%. Of all patients with coronary artery disease, 70% underwent coronary intervention. Subjects who underwent coronary intervention exhibited hyperlipidemia significantly more often (77.8% vs. 42.3%, p=0.02). Cardiovascular risk factors play a prominent role in the development of premature arteriosclerosis in HIV-infected patients. Furthermore, our data highlight the importance of invasive diagnostics in this patient group.