Albuquerque et al. BMC Infectious Diseases 2013, 13:274 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/13/274
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Risk factors for subclinical atherosclerosis in HIV-infected patients under and over 40 years: a case–control study Valéria Maria Gonçalves Albuquerque1,2, Josefina Claudia Zírpoli1, Demócrito de Barros Miranda-Filho2,3, Maria de Fátima Pessoa Militão Albuquerque4, Ulisses Ramos Montarroyos1,3, Ricardo Arraes de Alencar Ximenes1,3 and Heloísa Ramos Lacerda1,2*
Abstract Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major cause of death in people with AIDS. Factors contributing to atherosclerosis include traditional risk factors, antiretrovirals and inflammatory factors related to HIV infection. This study set out to compare risk factors associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in individuals under and over 40 years of age. Methods: Case–control study with 697 HIV/AIDS individuals without HAART or who remain on their first antiretroviral regimen. Of the total, 351 individuals under 40 years and 346 over 40 years were analyzed separately. Subclinical atherosclerosis was assessed by carotid intima-media thickness, using B-mode ultrasound. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to find predictors of subclinical atherosclerosis in the entire group. Subsequent analysis excluded patients with major risk factors for CVD. Magnitudes of associations were expressed by odds ratio (OR) statistical significance, using a 95% confidence interval and p-value
