Contents:
- Medical Video: Medical Animation: HIV and AIDS
- These drugs are still used
- Other cardiovascular risk factors
- HAART and its relationship with the heart
- Insulin resistance and dyslipidemia
- The importance of the Mediterranean diet
Medical Video: Medical Animation: HIV and AIDS
The two types of treatment used to treat HIV / AIDS actually increase the chances of the patient's risk of another deadly event: a heart attack.
The widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) has transformed HIV / AIDS from diseases that die in a chronic condition that can be controlled. However, based on an FDA analysis in 2008, Data Collection on Anti-HIV Drug Turning Events (DAD), the NRTI of abacavir (Ziagen) actually increased the risk of heart attack by 90%. Other drugs such as didanosin (Videx) increase the risk by 49%.
Then, 3 other NRTIs were examined — zidovudine, stavudine and lamivudine — none of which showed an increase in the chance of a heart attack. The researchers did not examine 2 other NRTIs: tenofovir and emtricitabine.
These drugs are still used
Although this increased risk seems alarming, the researchers have not yet suggested the causation between drugs and heart attacks. Cardiovascular hazards associated with the use of abacavir and didanosine do not show an increased risk with long-term use, and disappear 6 months after the patient stops using it.
The absence of a warning not to prescribe these drugs has been ratified, in addition further regulations are also recommended. However, doctors are advised to report any negative reactions from the use of abacavir and didanosin.
Other cardiovascular risk factors
The increased threat from using multiple NRTIs seems to get worse when patients also have other heart disease risk factors:
- History of personal heart disease
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Smoke
- Elderly
HAART and its relationship with the heart
The possibility that NRTI use in HAART therapy makes cardiovascular events appear more frequently in people with HIV because it can trigger lipodystrophy, which is a redistribution of body fat in the patient's body. Lipodystrophy can cause fat buildup in the back of the neck, abdomen and in some cases in the female breast. At the same time, fat also appears lost from the face, buttocks and legs.
Insulin resistance and dyslipidemia
Some potentially dangerous changes in the body's metabolism can result in:
- Insulin resistance: The insulin hormone becomes increasingly unable to transport glucose (blood sugar) from the blood to the cell. This condition can cause diabetes.
- Dyslipidemia: Lipid levels (cholesterol and triglycerides) in the blood will increase which can cause cardiovascular disease.
The importance of the Mediterranean diet
Patients can fight lipodystrophy by following the "Mediterranean diet" - a low-fat diet (especially saturated fat), refined sugar and alcohol and increasing the intake of whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables. A high-fiber diet can reduce abdominal fat and control insulin resistance.
Aerobic exercise that increases the pulse and increases blood flow to the muscles is also recommended. Medicines such as growth hormone and metformin (Glucophage), a diabetes drug, are sometimes prescribed for people with lipodystrophy.
Please consult a doctor if you have questions or problems.
