hiv positive participants with low levels of cd4+ t cells over time — a sign of a progressing condition and a compromised immune system — faced a 57 per cent higher risk of sudden cardiac arrest. this number jumped to 70 per cent in participants whose blood tests showed antiretroviral therapy was not successful at reducing their hiv viral load.
“addressing risk factors related to both cardiovascular disease and hiv is essential to prevent the higher rates of sudden cardiac death in people with hiv,” said zian h. tseng, senior author of the study and a professor of medicine in residence, murray davis endowed professor at the university of california, san francisco.
“clinicians should consider screening for specific warning signs of sudden cardiac death such as fainting or heart palpitations. and, if indicated, clinicians should request additional testing such as echocardiograms or continuous rhythm monitoring.”
the study had several limitations, including the usage of a large proportion of male participants, which may make findings less generalizable across genders. also, autopsies — the definitive way of diagnosing death by sudden cardiac arrest — were not often available to researchers, presenting the possibility that some participants may actually have died from non-cardiac causes, such as a drug overdose, blood clot or stroke. the hiv positive participants also had more scar tissue in the heart muscle, a factor that may make fatal arrhythmias more likely.
4 minute read
