Cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV: Risk assessment and management

Abstract

Almost 40 million people worldwide are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. With treatment advances, HIV infection is now a manageable chronic disease for those with access to medical therapy. People living with HIV have a significantly higher risk and earlier onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD) owing to chronic inflammation and other biochemical factors, as well as overlapping social determinants of health and nonbiologic risk factors. Knowing that patients living with HIV develop coronary artery disease much earlier than the general population, careful attention must be given to assessment and management of their cardiovascular risk.