Hepatitis C virus coinfection and the risk of cardiovascular disease among HIV-infected patients

Background Among HIV-infected patients, hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection is associated with lower cholesterol levels, but it remains unclear how it affects cardiovascular outcomes. Methods We performed logistic regression to evaluate acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) events by HCV status among HIV-infected US veterans in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era (1996-2004). We then performed survival analyses to evaluate incident AMI and CVD, exploring antiretroviral therapy (ART) as a time-dependent variable. Results A total of 19 424 HIV-infected patients [31.6% of whom were HCV-coinfected (HIV/HCV)] contributed 76 376 patient-years of follow-up. HCV coinfection was associated with lower rates of hypercholesterolaemia (18.0% in HIV/HCV vs. 30.7% in HIV-only patients; P < 0.001), but higher rates of hypertension (43.8% vs. 35.6%; P < 0.0001), type 2 diabetes mellitus (16.2% vs. 11.1%; P < 0.0001) and smoking (36.7% vs. 24.7%; P=0.009). Rates of AMI and CVD were significantly higher among HIV/HCV than HIV-only patients: 4.19 vs. 3.36 events/1000 patient-years, respectively (P < 0.001), for AMI; and 12.47 vs. 11.12 events/1000 patient-years, respectively (P < 0.001), for CVD. When analyses were controlled for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, age and duration of ART, hazard ratios (HRs) among those with HIV/HCV (vs. HIV only) were 1.25 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.98-1.61; P=0.072] for AMI and 1.20 (CI 1.04-1.38; P=0.013) for CVD. Hypertension (HR 2.05; P < 0.001), greater age (HR 1.79; P < 0.001) and longer duration (cumulative years) of antiretroviral use (HR 1.12; P=0.0411) were also associated with increased risk of AMI in the adjusted model. Conclusions In the HAART era, HCV coinfection was associated with a significantly increased risk of CVD and a trend towards an increased risk of AMI among HIV-infected patients.