Poor kidney function associated with increased cardiovascular risk for people with HIV

From aidsmap.com…

Renal impairment is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in HIV-positive individuals, according to data from a large observational cohort study published in the online edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Within five years of follow-up, over a fifth of people with severely impaired kidney function developed cardiovascular disease compared to less than 2% of individuals with competent kidney function. Even after taking into account age and the side-effects of antiretroviral drugs, severely impaired kidney function remained associated with cardiovascular disease, increasing rates between 30 and 40%.

“In this large heterogeneous cohort of HIV-positive individuals we found a strong association between centrally adjudicated CVD events and advanced levels of renal impairment,” write the authors. “The high rates of CVD observed in older individuals with mild to moderate renal impairment highlight the need for intensified monitoring and search for effective prophylactic measures for impaired renal function and CVD in the ageing HIV-population.”

Read the full article.