Echocardiographic Findings in a Cohort of Perinatally HIV-Infected Adolescents Compared with Uninfected Peers from the Cape Town Adolescent Antiretroviral Cohort

Background: Little is known about the cardiac health of perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) adolescents on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa. The authors examined cardiac structure and function in PHIV+ adolescents on ART compared with HIV-uninfected (HIV-) adolescents.

Methods: Echocardiography was performed on PHIV+ and age- and sex-frequency-matched HIV- adolescents enrolled in the Cape Town Adolescent Antiretroviral Cohort. Participants were eligible if they were 9 to 14 years of age and had been on ART for ≥6 months.

Results: Overall, 474 PHIV+ adolescents (median age, 12 years; 51% boys; mean age at ART initiation, 5 years) and 109 HIV- adolescents (median age, 11.8 years; 45% boys) were included. The mean duration on ART was 7 years, with 37% starting treatment before 2 years of age. Compared with HIV- adolescents, PHIV+ adolescents had higher median Z scores for left ventricular (LV) internal end-diastolic dimension, LV end-systolic posterior wall thickness, and end-systolic interventricular septal thickness. PHIV+ adolescents had a lower median Z score for right ventricular internal end-diastolic dimension as compared with HIV- adolescents. There was no difference in ejection fraction or diastolic function between groups. Later initiation of ART (after 6 years) was associated with increased risk for LV hypertrophy (odds ratio, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.3-6.6; P = .01) compared with those who started ART earlier. PHIV+ adolescents with World Health Organization stage IV HIV infection were at increased risk (odds ratio, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.0-4.6; P = .05) of having LV diastolic dysfunction compared with those with less advanced clinical disease.

Conclusions: This study revealed subtle differences in echocardiographic parameters between PHIV+ and HIV- adolescents. Although these were not clinically significant, starting ART at an older age was a significant risk factor for LV hypertrophy, while more advanced clinical disease was associated with LV diastolic dysfunction.