Study reveals HIV persons to develop heart and kidney diseases

Sydney: A recent study published in the journal of PLOS Medicine says HIV positive patients could be at a greater risk of developing Heart and Kidney diseases due to the HIV infection.

The findings showed that the risks of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease in people with HIV infection occur simultaneously.

Mark Boyd, University of Adelaide Professor speaking about the findings, said: “Our research found that people with HIV at high risk of cardiovascular disease had a corresponding 5.63-fold increase in risk of chronic kidney disease, a finding not consistent with the general community,”

He added, “It’s wonderful that anti-HIV medication has been able to save the lives of so many, what we need to do now is to help people with HIV realize the full potential of their much-extended life expectancy.”

“There has been a lack of attention to the management of cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV. Unfortunately, this has implications for other diseases, and the interaction between diseases creates substantial risks for future life-threatening events” Boyd said.

Around 1400 HIV positive people being treated for HIV and diagnosed with Kidney issues were examined by the study team.

The study revealed 900 out of these examined had experienced heart disease.

The study found 11 percent of these patients had experienced both the events of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease with only a year apart.

The researchers now have stated that HIV persons are at a greater risk to develop both the diseases and should be assessed for both.

“We strongly urge both people with HIV and their doctors to be aware of these risks, and to treat them as a combined healthcare issue, not separately,” Professor Boyd said.