Lipids, biomarkers, and subclinical atherosclerosis in treatment-naive HIV patients starting or not starting antiretroviral therapy: Comparison with a healthy control group in a 2-year prospective study.

ObjectiveTo assess the effect of HIV infection and combined antiretroviral therapy (c-ART) on various proatherogenic biomarkers and lipids and to investigate their relationship with subclinical atherosclerosis in a cohort of treatment-naive HIV-infected patients.MethodsWe performed a prospective, comparative, multicenter study of 2 groups of treatment-naive HIV-infected patients (group A, CD4>500 cells/μL, not starting c-ART; and group B, CD4ResultsThe study population comprised 62 HIV-infected patients (group A, n = 31; group B, n = 31) and 22 controls. Age was 37 (30-43) years, and 81% were men. At baseline, the HIV-infected patients had a worse LDL particle phenotype and higher plasma concentration of sCD14, sCD163, hs-CRP, and LDL-Lp-PLA2 than the controls. At month 12, there was an increase in total cholesterol (p = 0.002), HDL-c (p = 0.003), and Apo A-I (p = 0.049) and a decrease in sCD14 (p = ConclusionsIn treatment-naive HIV-infected patients, initiation of c-ART was associated with an improvement in LDL particle phenotype and inflammatory/immune biomarkers, reaching values similar to those of the controls. HIV infection was associated with progression of carotid intima-media thickness