Carotid intima media thickness changes, endothelial activation and inflammatory markers in advanced naïve HIV patients starting antiretroviral therapy

PREVALEAT II (PREmature VAscular LEsions and Antiretroviral Therapy II) is an ongoing multicenter, longitudinal cohort study aimed to the evaluation of cardiovascular risk in advanced naïve HIV-infected patients starting their first HAART. It includes all consecutive naïve pts with <200 CD4 cells/ml who start any PI/r-based or NNRTI-based+2 NRTIs regimen. Pts are subjected to epi-aortic vessels ultrasonography, brachial artery flow mediated dilation (FMD), endothelial cytokine inflammatory markers value at time 0 and after 3, 6 and 12 months. Data about independent risk factors for CV disease are taken at time 0. Viral load, CD4+ counts, serum lipid values, glucose, body mass index (BMI) are recorded at every control. We enrolled 47 pts: 76,6% males, 87,2% caucasians, 40,4% cigarette smokers, 10,6% HCV co-infected, 6,4% had lipodystrophy. 29,8% homosexuals, 12,8% drug addicts, 51,1% heterosexuals. At baseline, 23,4% of pts had pathologic BMI, 31,91% had a epi-aortic vessels lesion (IMT and/or plaque), 27,65% had pathologic FMD; ICAM1 was pathologic in 46,80%, VCAM1 in 53,19%, IL-6 in 51,06%, D-dimers in 29,79%, hsCRP in 23,40%. 27 pts completed stage T1 of the study (after 3 months); percentages and significance level of variations are the following: 44,44% had a lesion of the epi-aortic vessels (p=0,28), 48,14% had a pathologic FMD (p=0,08), ICAM1 was pathologic in 59,26% (p=0,30), VCAM1 in 70,37% (p=0,15), IL-6 in 74,07% (p=0,05), D-dimers in 14,81% (p=0,12), hsCRP in 25,92% (p=0,80). 27 pts completed stage T2 of the study (6 months). Percentages and significance level of variations in regard of baseline are the following: 51,85% had a epi-aortic vessels lesion (p=0,462); 25,92% had pathologic FMD (p=0,37). 10 pts completed stage T3 of the study (12 months): 60% had a epi-aortic vessels lesion (p=0,07); 40% had pathologic FMD (p=0,49). No significant change has been showed in the trend of variation of inflammatory cytokines at T2 and T3. Our data, at baseline, evidence that advanced naïve pts show a relevant deterioration of CV conditions in terms of US data, FMD and cytokine markers. At T1, US and FMD seem to further worsen; cytokines, except D-dimers, show a worsening trend, too. At T1 and T2, prevalence of vessel lesion and pathologic FMD is yet higher, with a p value closer to significance level. Further data deriving from the follow-up of missing pts are warranted to better understand the evolution of the CV risk profile in this setting of pts.