Cardiovascular disease in women living with HIV: A narrative review

Danielle Solomon, Caroline A. Sabin, Patrick W.G. Mallon, Alan Winston, Shema Tariq*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Advances in the treatment of HIV have led to increasing numbers of people living with HIV reaching older age. Age-related comorbid conditions, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), are therefore of increasing importance in HIV clinical practice. Over half the global population of people living with HIV are female. We present a narrative literature review of 39 studies exploring CVD in women living with HIV (WLHIV), with particular reference to coronary heart disease, and focusing on: (1) epidemiology, (2) pathophysiology, (3) risk factors (including traditional risk factors and HIV-related risk factors), and (4) management. Although we found significant gaps in the literature on CVD in WLHIV, data suggest that: HIV increases the risk of CVD in women even more than it does in men; certain cardiometabolic risk factors (such as obesity and metabolic syndrome) are more prevalent in WLHIV than their male counterparts; and risk factors such as hyperlipidaemia and hypertension are not optimally managed in this population. Clinicians working with WLHIV therefore need to be aware that this is a patient group at elevated cardiovascular risk, and should be familiar with relevant guidelines.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)58-70
Number of pages13
JournalMaturitas
Volume108
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2018
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Coronary heart disease
  • HIV
  • Women

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