Reducing cardiac risk

Actions the individual can take to reduce the risk of heart disease and arterial blockages are discussed fully in Treating metabolic changes, but include: regular exercise and reduced consumption of saturated fats (found in meat, processed cakes and biscuits, butter, full cream dairy products, fast foods) which can increase your blood cholesterol.

Stopping smoking and reducing alcohol intake to less than three units a day is also desirable. D:A:D study findings have confirmed that quitting smoking lowers cardiovascular risk in HIV-positive smokers, and that the risk continues to fall the longer they stay smoke-free, just as in HIV-negative smokers.1

Heart surgery may be an option for people who are developing a substantial blockage in a coronary artery. A stent can be inserted to keep the artery open. This operation has been performed in HIV-positive people.2

References

  1. Petoumenos K et al. Rates of cardiovascular disease following smoking cessation in patients with HIV infection: results from the D:A:D study. Seventeenth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, abstract 124, San Francisco, 2010
  2. Boccara F et al. Stent implantation for acute left main coronary artery occlusion in an HIV-infected patient on protease inhibitors. J Invasive Cardiol 14: 343-346, 2002
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