People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a higher risk of sudden cardiac death than people who do not have HIV, especially if the virus is not well-controlled or if they have other heart disease risk factors, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.
“We know that among people with HIV, those who have a compromised immune system, for example a low total CD4+T cell count, they seem to have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those who have high CD4+T cell counts,” Freiberg said. “It is unclear if a compromised immune system is a risk factor for sudden cardiac death.”
