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Sudden cardiac death, which occurs
when the heart unexpectedly stops, was second only to AIDS as a leading cause
of death among HIV patients in a new 10-year study. The results indicate that
even if their virus is under control and they appear relatively healthy,
HIV-positive people are 4.5 times more likely to die of sudden cardiac arrest
than HIV-negative individuals.
Among the study’s subjects - 2,860
HIV patients receiving treatment at San Francisco General Hospital’s (SFGH)
HIV/AIDS ward from 2000 to 2009 - 230 died: 57 percent from AIDS, 13 percent
from sudden cardiac death, 11 percent from other natural diseases, and 19
percent from suicides, overdoses or unknown causes. Eighty-six percent of the
cardiac deaths occurred suddenly, compared to about half of all heart-related
deaths in the general population.
Among those who suffered sudden
cardiac death, more than half had a history of smoking, heavy drinking or drug
use; 80 percent already had been diagnosed with heart disease or had one or
more risk factors; and one-third reported symptoms like chest pain or shortness
of breath at their last clinic visit. Their T-cells counts were only slightly
below average for all study patients.
Half the patients for whom lab
results were available had undetectable viral loads when they died, suggesting
that HIV alone is not causing the heart problems, according to authors Dr. Zian
Tseng, a University of California-San Francisco electrophysiologist, and Dr.
Priscilla Hsue, director of the HIV Cardiology Clinic at SFGH, and colleagues.
They noted that HIV causes inflammation that could affect the heart. In
addition, some HIV drugs are known to interrupt the heart’s electrical
activity.
Thanks to effective treatment, Hsue
said some HIV patients who were initially reluctant to adopt healthier
lifestyles now are thinking, “‘I could live another 25 years if I take care of
myself.’ And I’m really hammering on stop smoking, take blood pressure
medication, watch your cholesterol.”
[PNU editor’s note: The study, “Sudden
Cardiac Death in Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection,” was
published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology
(2012;59:1891-1896).]
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
