Assessment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risks between people living with HIV receiving first-line and second-line antiretroviral therapy in a resource-limited setting.

Cardiovascular disease has become an important health problem in people living with HIV (PLHIV) who receive antiretroviral therapy (ART). Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk score is a non-invasive tool to estimate the 10-year risk for ASCVD. A cross-sectional study was conducted among PLHIV receiving ART in a resource-limited setting, in order to assess the 10-year ASCVD risk between PLHIV receiving first-line and second-line ART. Of 460 participants with a mean age of 51.2 years, 262 (57.0%) were men. The mean duration of HIV infection was 14.7 years and the mean CD4 cell count was 509 cells/μL. Of all, 345 participants were receiving first-line ART and 115 were receiving second-line ART. The median 10-year ASCVD risk was 3.0% and 5.1% in the first-line and second-line ART groups, respectively (p = 0.029). The prevalence of a high 10-year ASCVD risk (≥20%) was significantly higher in the second-line ART group (3.5% vs 0.9%, p = 0.048). In multivariate analysis, receiving second-line ART was significantly associated with intermediate to high 10-year ASCVD risk (OR = 2.952; 95% CI, 1.656-6.997; p = 0.015). Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk should be assessed in PLHIV, particularly those who receive second-line ART.