Mechanisms and primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease among people living with HIV

Cardiovascular disease has become an important health problem in people living with HIV (PLHIV) who receive antiretroviral therapy (ART). Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk score is a non-invasive tool to estimate the 10-year risk for ASCVD. A cross-sectional study was conducted among PLHIV receiving ART in a resource-limited setting, in order to assess the 10-year ASCVD risk between PLHIV receiving first-line and second-line ART. Of 460 participants with a mean age of 51.2 years, 262 (57.0%) were men. The mean duration of HIV infection was 14.7 years and the mean CD4 cell count was 509 cells/μL. Of all, 345 participants were receiving first-line ART and 115 were receiving second-line ART. The median 10-year ASCVD risk was 3.0% and 5.1% in the first-line and second-line ART groups, respectively ( p = 0.029). The prevalence of a high 10-year ASCVD risk (≥20%) was significantly higher in the second-line ART group (3.5% vs 0.9%, p = 0.048). In multivariate analysis, receiving second-line ART was significantly associated with intermediate to high 10-year ASCVD risk (OR = 2.952; 95% CI, 1.656–6.997; p = 0.015). Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk should be assessed in PLHIV, particularly those who receive second-line ART.

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Retrospective cohort study of statin prescribing for primary prevention among people living with HIV

JRSM Cardiovascular Disease ◽

10.1177/20480040211031068 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

pp. 204800402110310

Author(s):

Joseph A Nardolillo ◽

Joel C Marrs ◽

Sarah L Anderson ◽

Rebecca Hanratty ◽

Joseph J Saseen

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Primary Prevention ◽

Statin Therapy ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Intermediate Risk ◽

Electronic Health Record Data ◽

Hiv Patients ◽

Living With Hiv

Objective To compare statin prescribing rates between intermediate-risk people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; PLWH) and intermediate-risk patients without a diagnosis of HIV for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Methods Retrospective cohort study . Electronic health record data were used to identify a cohort of PLWH aged 40–75 years with a calculated 10-year ASCVD risk between 7.5%-19.9% as determined by the Pooled Cohort Equation (PCE). A matched cohort of primary prevention non-HIV patients was identified. The primary outcome was the proportion of PLWH who were prescribed statin therapy compared to patients who were not living with HIV and were prescribed statin therapy Results 81 patients meeting study criteria in the PLWH cohort were matched to 81 non-HIV patients. The proportion of patients prescribed statins was 33.0% and 30.9% in the PLWH and non-HIV cohorts, respectively (p = 0.74). Conclusion and relevance: This study evaluated statin prescribing in PLWH for primary prevention of ASCVD as described in the 2018 AHA/ACC/Multisociety guideline. Rates of statin prescribing were similar, yet overall low, among intermediate-risk primary prevention PLWH compared to those not diagnosed with HIV.

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Coronary Artery Calcium for the Allocation of GLP-1RA for Primary Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease

JACC Cardiovascular Imaging ◽

10.1016/j.jcmg.2020.12.024 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Miguel Cainzos-Achirica ◽

Kershaw V. Patel ◽

Renato Quispe ◽

Parag H. Joshi ◽

Amit Khera ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Coronary Artery ◽

Primary Prevention ◽

Coronary Artery Calcium ◽

Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease

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Patients Living With HIV Are Less Likely to Receive Appropriate Statin Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction

Journal of Pharmacy Practice ◽

10.1177/0897190021999790 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089719002199979

Author(s):

Roshni P. Emmons ◽

Nicholas V. Hastain ◽

Todd A. Miano ◽

Jason J. Schafer

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Statin Therapy ◽

Risk Reduction ◽

Blood Cholesterol ◽

Control Group ◽

Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Ascvd Risk ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

To Receive

Background: Recent studies suggest that statins are underprescribed in patients living with HIV (PLWH) at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), but none have assessed if eligible patients receive the correct statin and intensity compared to uninfected controls. Objectives: The primary objective was to determine whether statin-eligible PLWH are less likely to receive appropriate statin therapy compared to patients without HIV. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated statin eligibility and prescribing among patients in both an HIV and internal medicine clinic at an urban, academic medical center from June-September 2018 using the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline on treating blood cholesterol to reduce ASCVD risk. Patients were assessed for eligibility and actual treatment with appropriate statin therapy. Characteristics of patients appropriately and not appropriately treated were compared with chi-square testing and predictors for receiving appropriate statin therapy were determined with logistic regression. Results: A total of 221/300 study subjects were statin-eligible. Fewer statin-eligible PLWH were receiving the correct statin intensity for their risk benefit group versus the uninfected control group (30.2% vs 67.0%, p < 0.001). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, PLWH were significantly less likely to receive appropriate statin therapy, while those with polypharmacy were more likely to receive appropriate statin therapy. Conclusion: Our study reveals that PLWH may be at a disadvantage in receiving appropriate statin therapy for ASCVD risk reduction. This is important given the heightened risk for ASCVD in this population, and strategies that address this gap in care should be explored.

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Role of coronary artery calcium score in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease

BMJ ◽

10.1136/bmj.n776 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. n776

Author(s):

Khurram Nasir ◽

Miguel Cainzos-Achirica

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Coronary Artery ◽

Primary Prevention ◽

Coronary Artery Calcium ◽

Calcium Score ◽

Coronary Plaque ◽

Preventive Therapy ◽

Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease ◽

International Studies

Abstract First developed in 1990, the Agatston coronary artery calcium (CAC) score is an international guideline-endorsed decision aid for further risk assessment and personalized management in the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This review discusses key international studies that have informed this 30 year journey, from an initial coronary plaque screening paradigm to its current role informing personalized shared decision making. Special attention is paid to the prognostic value of a CAC score of zero (the so called “power of zero”), which, in a context of low estimated risk thresholds for the consideration of preventive therapy with statins in current guidelines, may be used to de-risk individuals and thereby inform the safe delay or avoidance of certain preventive therapies. We also evaluate current recommendations for CAC scoring in clinical practice guidelines around the world, and past and prevailing barriers for its use in routine patient care. Finally, we discuss emerging approaches in this field, with a focus on the potential role of CAC informing not only the personalized allocation of statins and aspirin in the general population, but also of other risk-reduction therapies in special populations, such as individuals with diabetes and people with severe hypercholesterolemia.

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