Factors associated with high cardiovascular risk in a primarily African American, urban HIV-infected population

Objective: To determine factors associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease in a high-risk patient population. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of a retrospective cohort study. Methods: One-hundred patients at an inner city HIV clinic in 2008 were reviewed. The atherosclerotic vascular disease risk score was calculated using the Pooled Cohort Equation. Chi-square test was performed to identify associations of potential risk factors with elevated atherosclerotic vascular disease risk. Results: Eighty-one participants were included in the final analysis. In total, 95.1% were African American, and 38.3% were women. The median atherosclerotic vascular disease risk score was 8.8% and 8.1% in 2008 and 2012, respectively. The medical co-morbidities associated with increased atherosclerotic vascular disease risk were hepatitis C infection (X² = 3.93; p value = 0.048), elevated triglycerides levels (X² = 4.0; p value = 0.046), and low albumin (X² = 4.65; p value = 0.031). There were a higher number of women with known atherosclerotic vascular disease despite lower median atherosclerotic vascular disease risk score compared to men. Conclusion: An elevated risk of developing cardiovascular disease persists in high-risk demographic groups of the HIV epidemic even in the current HIV era. There is an unexplained gender disparity and some non-traditional risk factors not accounted for in the Pooled Cohort Equation may be contributing to the excess cardiovascular disease risk observed among HIV-infected patients.