People with HIV at higher risk for heart failure: Study

Dec 15, 2021

New Delhi, Dec 15 (ANI): A new study found that people with HIV are at higher risk of developing heart failure than people without HIV. The research, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, is one of the largest studies to investigate heart failure risk in people with HIV and how that risk varies by age, gender, race, and ethnicity. The study found that people with HIV were 68 per cent more likely to develop heart failure than people who did not have HIV, and people who were age 40 or younger, female, or of Asian or Pacific Islander ethnicity were at the highest risk. The analyses accounted for whether a person had risk factors for heart disease or was on medications to prevent heart problems. The study also showed that the higher heart failure risk was not because people with HIV had more risk factors for heart disease or just experienced more heart attacks. The researchers said their study highlights why it is important for people with HIV and their health care providers to be aware that shortness of breath, fatigue, leg swelling, coughing, and chest pain can be signs of early heart failure.