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Editorial - Cardiovascular Outcomes in Persons With HIV and Heart Failure
Medication Class or Suboptimal Viral Suppression? - Protease Inhibitors and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With HIV and Heart Failure
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Download the PDF here
Download the PDF here
From Jules: The study on PIs and heart failure is flawed & its application in the current clinical environment is not much.
you will note the study was conducted in 2011 at Bronx Lebanon in the Bronx, NY, when clearly it was either PIs or NNRTIs and more PIs were in use then some of which were less CVD friendly than darunavir or atazanavir. You will note in this Editorial the reference to too much uncontrolled viremia & low CD4 counts among patients in this study which confounds the results. Here look at this data from the study publication:
"Among PHIV receiving ART and hospitalized with HF, the median duration of prescribed ART was 8.5 years (IQR: 4 to 16 years), the mean CD4 count was 295 cells/mm3, and the median VL was 274 copies/ml (range <50 to 3,000,457 copies/ml). A total of 58% (228 of 394) of patients had a CD4 count of ≥200 cells/mm3, and 62% (244 of 394) had a VL <200 copies/ml."
Study patients also had worse metabolics:
"When groups were stratified by a PI-based ART regimen versus a NPI-based regimen, those patients with a PI-based ART regimen were more likely to have hyperlipidemia (52% vs. 35%; p < 0.001), diabetes mellitus (44% vs. 31%; p = 0.012), CAD (52% vs. 33%; p < 0.001), higher pulmonary artery pressure (PASP) (48 ± 9.8 mm Hg vs. 43 ± 9.0 mm Hg; p < 0.001), and lower LVEF (44 ± 14.0% vs. 49 ± 12.0%; p = 0.003) (Table 1)."
As the Editorial says in today's current ART environment these patients would have been better monitored & had better CD4 counts & controlled viremia. This confounds the results.
I would add back in 2011 CVD & metabolics were less controlled than now. Now many HIV+ have better heart disease control mechanisms.
HOEVER heart disease remains perhaps the #1 problem for aging HIV+, as it is in the general population.Many HIV+ cannot take statins. There is controversy about whether elderly HIV-neg should take statins. Older aging HIV+ remain at serious risk for CVD. HIV itself causes servious CVD complications like as mentioned in this Editorial including of note immune activation, despite viral suppression. And as several studies suggest that HIV+ have more non-calcified plaque in arteries that appear to increase CVD risk despite viral suppression. SO WE ARE ALL AT GREAT RISK FOR CVD. Rates of CCVd are 50% r greater higher in HIV+. See the study presented at IAC 2018 last week which is only the latest in a series of numerous studies reporting the very serious & greatly increased risk for CVD in HIV+ and much more for older aging HIV+:
IAC: HIV infection independently increases the risk of developing heart failure: The HIV HEART study - (07/30/18)
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Here is the original publication & the Editorial:
Editorial - Cardiovascular Outcomes in Persons With HIV and Heart Failure
Medication Class or Suboptimal Viral Suppression?
Robert S. Rosenson and Rupert Kaul
Journal of the American College of Cardiology July 2018
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a global epidemic that currently affects 1.1 million people in the United States and 37 million people worldwide (1). The widespread use of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in persons with HIV (PHIV) has dramatically reduced deaths from opportunistic infections and improved survival (2).
However, PHIV demonstrate higher rates of multiple chronic illnesses such as ischemic heart disease (3), as well as pulmonary hypertension and heart failure (HF) (4). HIV cardiomyopathy may result from direct viral toxicity, autoimmune response, myocarditis secondary to toxoplasmosis or cryptococcosis, HIV medications, nutritional deficiencies, and coronary artery disease (5). Most studies of cardiovascular risk have found higher risks of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in virally suppressed PHIV (3).
Specifically, PHIV have higher rates of myocardial infarction (3), stroke, and sudden cardiac death (6). Although PHIV have a 50% higher relative risk of myocardial infarction after adjustment for traditional risk factors (3), when compared with controls, a recent study from Kaiser Northern and Southern California reported a decline in myocardial infarction risk that was attributed to a decline in use of protease inhibitor (PI) combination ART (cART) regimens and more attention to traditional risk factor management (7).
In this issue of the Journal, Alvi et al. (8) investigate cardiovascular mortality (primary endpoint) and 30-day HF readmission rate (secondary outcome) among PHIV (8). This retrospective single-center study included 394 ART-treated participants who were hospitalized for HF beginning in 2011. Cardiovascular events were stratified by treatment with PI and non-PI (NPI) cART regimens. After a mean follow-up of 2 years, the use of PI versus NPI was associated with higher cardiovascular mortality (35% vs. 17%; p < 0.001) and 30-day HF readmission (68% vs. 34%; p < 0.001). In multivariate regression analyses, the hazard ratio (HR) for cardiovascular mortality was 1.797 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.257 to 2.567; p = 0.001) in the PI group. The higher mortality risk was similar in the subset of 179 HF patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HR: 1.755; 95% CI: 1.063 to 2.741) and 172 patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HR: 2.013; 95% CI: 1.107 to 3.234). In addition to PI use, predictors of cardiovascular mortality included coronary artery disease (HR: 2.113; 95% CI: 1.512 to 2.971), higher pulmonary artery systolic pressure (HR: 1.083; 95% CI: 1.053 to 1.179), uncontrolled viremia (HR for HIV viral load: 1.332; 95% CI: 1.121 to 1.635), and immunosuppression (HR for CD4 count: 0.968; 95% CI: 0.955 to 0.957).
Although these results are intriguing, there are several important limitations to this study, including the following: 1) it consists of a retrospective analysis from a single site; 2) the absence of HIV cardiomyopathy diagnostic criteria (contrast magnetic resonance imaging findings of fibrosis, early gadolinium enhancement, myocardial edema) (9); 3) the lack of pathological specimens (endomyocardial biopsy) at the time of HF diagnosis; 4) serial change in clinical presentation; 5) low rates of viral suppression; 6) absence of data on adherence to cART and cardiovascular therapies (diet, exercise, medications); and 7) absence of serial measures of HF medications and biomarkers. Despite these limitations, this retrospective analysis provides novel insights into cardiovascular mortality in PHIV and the potential for certain cART regimens to contribute to acute HF decompensation.
Although mechanism cannot be deduced from observational studies, particularly in the absence of data obtained from myocardial imaging and pathological findings at the time of HF diagnosis, Alvi et al. (8) propose that ritonavir-boosted PI regimens cause an increase in myocardial fibrosis (10,11). However, on the basis of the presented data, we suggest that immune dysregulation and inflammation are also plausible mechanisms for the higher mortality seen in PHIV. In the study by Alvi et al. (8), uncontrolled viremia and immunosuppression were more common than would be expected for modern-day cohort studies in PHIV, and both would likely have biased clinicians to the increased use of PI over NPI-based ART regimens because at that time PI-based regimens were believed to be more potent and more robust than alternatives in the context of poor adherence. Furthermore, both uncontrolled viremia and immunosuppression were independently associated with higher HF mortality in multivariate analysis, a finding suggesting that they may have acted as important study confounders.
Chronic inflammation and disordered immune regulation, even among ART-treated and virologic-suppressed individuals, increases cardiovascular disease risk (12), and poorly controlled viremia drives much higher levels of inflammation. Proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interleukin [IL]-1, and IL-6) and cardiac autoantibodies are increased in patients with HIV cardiomyopathy (13). TNF-α and other inflammatory cytokines also increase myocardial expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and cause myocyte apoptosis (14).
The causes of immune activation in poorly controlled HIV infection are multifactorial, including proliferation of HIV-specific and bystander T cells, reactivity of innate immune cells to HIV-encoded toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands, loss of immunoregulatory cells (15), and potentially HIV-associated coinfections. In addition, alterations in gut flora generate lipopolysaccharide and 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA) that binds soluble CD14 and the myeloid differentiation-2 (MD-2) TLR4 complex. Ligation of TLR4 complex activates nuclear factor kappa Β and production of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1B, TNF-α, type 1 interferon, and IL-6 (16,17). Activation of M1-polarized macrophages, as defined by the expression of soluble cluster of differentiation 163 (sCD163), sCD14, and galectin-3 binding protein (Gal-3BP), was significantly associated with carotid artery disease in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (18), and tissue macrophage polarization itself is driven by TLR2 and TLR4 ligands, NOD-like (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain) receptor activation of NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3) inflammasome, and T-helper cytokines (19,20).
This study by Alvi et al. (8) is intriguing and will prompt further investigations into HIV-associated HF. If possible, future studies should include PHIV with incident HF, the use of myocardial biopsy and specific biomarkers that allow for more precise diagnosis of the pathological and clinical features associated with HF, and serial measures of clinical and HF-specific biomarkers. In addition, data on medication adherence and viral suppression should be carefully collected because not only is medication adherence an important predictor of health outcomes among PHIV, but also differences by drug class may serve as important confounders for cardiovascular endpoints.
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Protease Inhibitors and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With HIV and Heart Failure
JACC July 31 2018 - Raza M. Alvi, Anne M. Neilan, Noor Tariq, Magid Awadalla, Maryam Afshar, Dahlia Banerji, Adam Rokicki, Connor Mulligan, Virginia A. Triant, Markella V. Zanni and Tomas G. Neilan
Factors associated with 30-day HF readmission on univariate analysis included use of a PI-based regimen, traditional HF risk factors or measures of CV disease (a history of CAD, cocaine use, increased PASP), HIV-specific parameters (low CD4 count and high VL), and socioeconomic parameters (low education level and unemployment) (Online Table 8). In a multivariable model in PHIV hospitalized with HFrEF, the following parameters remained independently associated with CV mortality rate: use of a PI-based regimen; history of CAD; cocaine use; increased PASP; low CD4 count (or high VL); low education level; and unemployment (Online Table 9).
Abstract
Background Incident heart failure (HF) is increased in persons with human immunodeficiency virus (PHIV). Protease inhibitors (PIs) are associated with adverse cardiac remodeling and vascular events; however, there are no data on the use of PIs in PHIV with HF.
Objectives This study sought to compare characteristics, cardiac structure, and outcomes in PHIV with HF who were receiving PI-based versus non-PI (NPI) therapy.
Methods This was a retrospective single-center study of all 394 antiretroviral therapy-treated PHIV who were hospitalized with HF in 2011, stratified by PI and NPI. The primary outcome was cardiovascular (CV) mortality, and the secondary outcome was 30-day HF readmission rate.
Results Of the 394 PHIV with HF (47% female, mean age 60 ± 9.5 years, CD4 count 292 ± 206 cells/mm3), 145 (37%) were prescribed a PI, whereas 249 (63%) were prescribed NPI regimens. All PI-based antiretroviral therapy contained boosted-dose ritonavir.
PHIV who were receiving a PI had higher rates of hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease (CAD); higher pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP); and lower left ventricular ejection fraction.
In follow-up, PI use was associated with increased CV mortality (35% vs. 17%; p < 0.001) and 30-day HF readmission (68% vs. 34%; p < 0.001), effects seen in all HF types.
Predictors of CV mortality included PI use, CAD, PASP, and immunosuppression. Overall, PIs were associated with a 2-fold increased risk of CV mortality.
Conclusions PI-based regimens in PHIV with HF are associated with dyslipidemia, diabetes, CAD, a lower left ventricular ejection fraction, and a higher PASP. In follow-up, PHIV with HF who are receiving a PI have increased CV mortality and 30-day HF readmission.
The long-term survival of persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PHIV) has improved (1). This improved survival in large part reflects the use of effective and tolerable antiretroviral therapy (ART) (1,2). Classes of ART include nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitors (PIs), integrase inhibitors, and fusion inhibitors (3). Previous analyses have demonstrated associations between the use of some PIs and vascular events such as stroke and myocardial infarction (4-6). In animal models, PIs are associated with an increase in transforming growth factor beta-1, leading to myocardial fibrosis and impaired cardiac function (7,8). Furthermore, echocardiographic studies in PHIV without known cardiovascular (CV) disease have shown that PIs are associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (9). It is therefore plausible that the use of PI-based ART may be associated with adverse outcomes in PHIV with heart failure (HF). Determination of whether PI-based ART regimens affect HF outcomes may be important for the following reasons: 1) the risk of incident HF is increased more than 2-fold among PHIV (10,11) and, as the group of PHIV ages, rates of incident HF are projected to increase dramatically (12); and 2) once HF is established in HIV infection, there is a 4-fold increased risk of being admitted for decompensated HF and a 3-fold increase in CV mortality (13). Therefore, we aimed to study the association between PI use and CV outcomes in PHIV with HF. We hypothesized that PI-based therapy would be associated with adverse CV changes and adverse outcomes in HF.
Methods
Study design and patient group
After obtaining Institutional Board Review approval, we retrospectively analyzed the data on 2,578 patients admitted to a U.S. tertiary care hospital (Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Bronx, New York) in 2011 with a primary diagnosis of acute decompensated HF. HF admission was defined according to the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association key data elements and definitions for CV endpoint events: a hospital admission with a primary diagnosis of HF and length of stay of at least 24 h, with new or worsening symptoms of HF on presentation, objective evidence of new or worsening HF, and initiation or intensification of treatment specifically for HF (14). Individuals who had a recent (≤3 months) history of cardiac surgery (n = 72), were excluded from the study. We further excluded patients without HIV infection (n = 1,838) and PHIV who were not prescribed ART (n = 24) (Figure 1), thus resulting in a final study group of 394 PHIV with HF. The cohort was further stratified by HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] <40%), HF with borderline ejection fraction (HFbEF) (LVEF 40% to 49%), and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) (LVEF ≥50%) (Figure 1). The diagnoses of HIV infection and HF, as well as other clinically relevant variables, were ascertained in each patient through manual review of each of individual electronic health record (EHR).
Covariates
Through EHR review, data were collected on traditional HF risk factors (including hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease [CAD], family history of CAD, body mass index, previous or active cigarette smoking, and previous or active cocaine use). During EHR review, data were collected on LVEF and medication use at the time of discharge from the index HF hospitalization. Additional data included information on socioeconomic status (education level and employment status). For the purposes of this study, assignment to a PI regimen was made by reviewing the medications at the time of discharge. Details on HIV-specific parameters (CD4, viral load [VL]) were recorded from those available closest to the time of discharge from the index HF hospitalization (all were within 1 month of the date of discharge).
Outcomes
Our primary outcome was CV mortality, defined as death resulting from HF, sudden cardiac death, arrhythmias, and/or acute ischemic events (15). Death was determined through the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), and cause of death was confirmed by physician-adjudicated individual EHR review. The secondary outcome was 30-day HF hospital readmission rate, defined as described earlier and ascertained through physician-adjudicated individual EHR review. All outcomes were adjudicated by a physician blinded to all other variables including HIV drug class. The follow-up period began on the date of discharge from the first HF hospitalization in 2011.
Statistical analysis
Continuous variables are presented as mean ± SD or median (interquartile range [IQR]), as appropriate on the basis of normality, and categorical variables are presented as percentages. Continuous data were compared with the use of unpaired Student's t-tests or Wilcoxon rank sum tests, as appropriate. Categorical data were compared using the chi-square or the Fisher exact test. Clinical parameters at index HF hospitalization and subsequent outcomes were compared among the following groups: 1) PHIV with HF stratified by PI versus NPI; 2) PHIV with HFrEF stratified by PI versus NPI; 3) PHIV with HFpEF stratified by PI versus NPI; and 4) PHIV with HFbEF stratified by PI versus NPI. Survival curves were plotted using Kaplan-Meier curves.
Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to determine the association between baseline covariates and the CV mortality rate. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses for CV mortality rate were constructed using a p <0.01 on the univariate analysis for entry. Otherwise, statistical significance was defined using a 2-tailed p value ≤0.05. Both VL and CD4 count were not included in the multivariate model together because of the overlap between those individuals with a low CD4 count and those with a high VL. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software version 24 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York).
Results
Baseline characteristics
PHIV with HF
Among PHIV receiving ART and hospitalized with HF, the median duration of prescribed ART was 8.5 years (IQR: 4 to 16 years), the mean CD4 count was 295 cells/mm3, and the median VL was 274 copies/ml (range <50 to 3,000,457 copies/ml). A total of 58% (228 of 394) of patients had a CD4 count of ≥200 cells/mm3, and 62% (244 of 394) had a VL <200 copies/ml.
Of the 394 PHIV taking ART, 145 patients (37%) had a PI-based regimen, whereas 249 patients (63%) had an NPI-based regimen. All PI-based regimens were ritonavir boosted. PI regimens prescribed in our cohort are listed in Online Table 1. When groups were stratified by a PI-based ART regimen versus a NPI-based regimen, those patients with a PI-based ART regimen were more likely to have hyperlipidemia (52% vs. 35%; p < 0.001), diabetes mellitus (44% vs. 31%; p = 0.012), CAD (52% vs. 33%; p < 0.001), higher pulmonary artery pressure (PASP) (48 ± 9.8 mm Hg vs. 43 ± 9.0 mm Hg; p < 0.001), and lower LVEF (44 ± 14.0% vs. 49 ± 12.0%; p = 0.003) (Table 1).
PHIV with HFrEF
There were 179 PHIV with HFrEF who were receiving ART (median duration 8.5 years [IQR: 4 to 16 years]). Among PHIV with HFrEF and ART, the mean CD4 count was 299 cells/mm3, and the median VL was 273 copies/ml (range <50 to 3,000,457 copies/ml). A total of 57% (102 of 179) of patients had a CD4 count of ≥200 cells/mm3, and 60% (108 of 179) had VL <200 copies/ml. Of the 179 PHIV with HFrEF, 71 patients (40%) had a PI-based ART regimen, whereas 108 (60%) had an NPI-based regimen. When PHIV with HFrEF were stratified by PI-based ART versus NPI, findings were similar to those in the overall cohort (Table 2).
PHIV with HFpEF
There were 172 PHIV with HFpEF who were receiving ART (median duration 8 years [IQR: 4 to 14 years]). In this group, the mean CD4 count was 291 cells/mm3, and the median VL was 307 copies/ml (range <50 to 3,000,457 copies/ml). A total of 60% (98 of 172) of patients had a CD4 count of ≥200 cells/mm3, and 63% (106 of 172) had VL <200 copies/ml. Of the 172 PHIV with HFpEF, 57 patients (33%) had a PI-based ART regimen, whereas 115 patients (67%) had an NPI. When PHIV with HFpEF were stratified by PI-based ART regimen versus NPI, findings were comparable with those of the overall cohort and the HFrEF group (Table 3).
ADHF = acute decompensated heart failure; CV = cardiovascular; HFbEF = heart failure with borderline ejection fraction; HFpEF = heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; HFrEF = heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; HIV = human immunodeficiency virus; NPI = non-protease inhibitor antiretroviral therapy; PHIV = persons with human immunodeficiency virus; PI = protease inhibitor (ritonavir boosted); Pts = patients.
Outcomes
CV mortality
In the entire cohort of 394 patients, there were 93 CV deaths (23%) over 2 years of follow-up. The CV mortality rate was higher among PHIV hospitalized with HF who were taking a PI versus an NPI (35% vs. 17%; p < 0.001) (Figure 2A). Similar findings of increased CV mortality were noted when the cohort was stratified by the type of HF (HFrEF, HFpEF, and HFbEF). Specifically, among the PHIV hospitalized with HFrEF, the CV mortality rate was higher among the individuals who were taking a PI versus an NPI (36% vs. 21%; p = 0.021) (Figure 3A); among the PHIV hospitalized with HFpEF, the CV mortality rate was higher in the individuals taking a PI versus an NPI (33% vs. 15%; p = 0.004) (Figure 4A); and among the PHIV hospitalized with HFbEF, the CV mortality rate was also higher in the individuals who were taking a PI versus an NPI (35% vs. 4%; p = 0.01) (Figure 5A). There was an interaction present between the type of HF and the use of a PI-based regimen; however, PI use remained an independent predictor of CV mortality (Online Table 2). There was also no difference in CV mortality when different types of PIs were compared (Online Table 3). Saquinavir causes QT and PR interval prolongation and is no longer recommended as first-line for ART (16); therefore, the association between PI use and adverse outcomes was retested after the exclusion of patients taking saquinavir, and the finding remained unchanged (Online Tables 4 and 5). Among PHIV with HF, factors associated with CV mortality on univariate analysis included the following: the use of a PI-based regimen; traditional HF risk factors or measures of CV disease (a history of CAD, increased PASP, and low LVEF); HIV-specific parameters (low nadir CD4 count or at index hospitalization and high VL); and low education level (Table 4). In a multivariable model, the following parameters remained independently associated with CV mortality rate: use of a PI-based regimen; history of CAD; increased PASP; low nadir CD4 count or at index hospitalization (or high VL); and low education level (Table 5, Online Tables 6 and 7). Similar findings were noted when analogous analyses were performed among groups stratified by HFpEF and HFrEF (Tables 6, 7, 8, and 9⇓⇓⇓⇓). For example, in PHIV hospitalized with HFrEF, factors associated with CV mortality on univariate analysis included use of a PI-based regimen, traditional HF risk factors or measures of CV disease (a history of CAD, increased PASP, and low LVEF), HIV-specific parameters (low CD4 count and high VL), and low education level (Table 6). In a multivariable model among PHIV hospitalized with HFrEF, the following parameters remained independently associated with CV mortality rate: use of a PI-based regimen; history of CAD; increased PASP; decreased LVEF; low CD4 count (or high VL); and low education level (Table 7).
30-day HF readmission rates
In the entire cohort of 394 patients, 46% were readmitted with decompensated HF within 30 days of discharge from the incident HF hospitalization. The use of a PI-based regimen was associated with a 2-fold increased risk of readmission for HF. Specifically, the 30-day hospital readmission rate was higher among PHIV with HF who were taking a PI versus an NPI (68% vs. 34%; p < 0.001) (Figure 2B). Similar findings of an increased 30-day HF readmission rate with PIs were noted when groups were analyzed according to the type of HF: HFrEF with a PI versus HFrEF not with a PI; (70% vs. 55%; p < 0.001) (Figure 3B); HFpEF with a PI versus HFpEF with an NPI (66% vs 22%; p < 0.001) (Figure 4B); and HFbEF with a PI versus HFbEF with an NPI (65% vs. 23%; p = 0.01) (Figure 5B). Additionally, no difference in 30-day readmission rate was noted among the different types of PIs (data not shown). Factors associated with 30-day HF readmission on univariate analysis included use of a PI-based regimen, traditional HF risk factors or measures of CV disease (a history of CAD, cocaine use, increased PASP), HIV-specific parameters (low CD4 count and high VL), and socioeconomic parameters (low education level and unemployment) (Online Table 8). In a multivariable model in PHIV hospitalized with HFrEF, the following parameters remained independently associated with CV mortality rate: use of a PI-based regimen; history of CAD; cocaine use; increased PASP; low CD4 count (or high VL); low education level; and unemployment (Online Table 9).
Discussion
We tested the associations between ritonavir-boosted PI regimens and cardiac structure and outcomes among PHIV with HF (Central Illustration). We report 4 key findings of broad clinical relevance to the care of patients with HIV and HF in our study: 1) 36% of the cohort of PHIV were receiving a PI-based regimen, as compared with a non-PI-based regimen, and these patients had higher rates of hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and CAD; 2) patients taking a PI had a higher PASP and lower LVEF; 3) in follow-up, PHIV with HF who had a PI-based regimen had higher rates of CV death; and 4) increased 30-day HF hospitalization for those patients who had PI-based ART compared with those who had NPI-based ART. To our knowledge, these findings are the first data linking PI-based ART to adverse cardiac structural changes and outcomes among PHIV with HF.
In this study, ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors were associated with increased cardiovascular mortality and 30-day heart failure (HF) readmission rates among persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with HF.
Previous studies have shown an association between some PI-based ART regimens and vascular events (6,17-19); for example, data from the (DAD) Data Collection on Adverse Events of Anti-HIV Drugs Study) cohort from subjects enrolled from 1999 through 2005 and from 2009 through 2016 have shown that some PI-based regimens were associated with an increase in a composite vascular endpoint (death, stroke, myocardial infarction, and revascularization) (4,6). There are no data on the association between PI-based regimens and outcomes specifically among PHIV with HF, a group at high risk of adverse events. Chen et al. (20), in a study involving 21,435 PHIV, demonstrated an association between current use of tenofovir (a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor) and an approximately 30% to 40% lower risk of incident HF compared with past users or never users of this drug. In that study, patients with HF were excluded, and the effect of PI regimens was not the focus; however, a significant proportion of the comparator group was prescribed a PI-based ART regimen.
As compared with uninfected controls, there is a marked increase in CV death among PHIV (13,21,22). For instance, Tseng et al. (22) completed a study of >2,800 individuals with HIV that showed a 4.5-fold greater risk of sudden cardiac death among PHIV. In that cohort, those patients who died had a higher prevalence of CAD, cardiomyopathy, and HF.
Indeed, the prevalence of HF in that group was 30% in patients who died as compared with 9% in those patients with HIV who did not die (22). There are limited data on CV mortality in PHIV with HF (10,13). Janjua et al. (13) reported increased CV mortality in women living with HIV; however, analyses testing the association of factors such as ART classes with CV outcomes were limited by the small sample and number of outcomes. We found that PI-based regimens were associated with an increase in CV mortality among PHIV with HF. The mechanism for this increase in CV mortality related to PI use is unclear, but several possibilities exist, including the following: 1) patients prescribed PIs had an increased 30-day HF readmission rate, which is closely linked to mortality in broad groups of patients with HF (23); 2) patients receiving ART had a higher PASP and a lower LVEF, both strong predictors of adverse outcomes, including mortality, in HF (24,25); and 3) PHIV with HF who were taking a PI had increased rates of diabetes and CAD, both independent risk factors for mortality in HF (26,27). Additionally, other factors not addressed in this study may have played a role. Specifically, among PHIV, the increased CV risk is, in part, independent of traditional CV risk factors and is probably related to a persistent and heightened state of inflammation (28-30). Inflammation is associated with worse outcomes in HF and CV disease, and the persistent inflammation in HIV may not be addressed using ART alone. For example, Zanni et al. (30) reported an increase in arterial inflammation after 6 months of ART treatment, a finding suggesting that additional therapies, beyond ART, may be needed to control inflammation among PHIV.
In this study, PHIV with HF who had a ritonavir-boosted PI had higher rates of hyperlipidemia and diabetes. The mechanisms involved in the increased rates of hyperlipidemia and diabetes seen with PI-based regimens and how the increase contributes to the heightened adverse outcomes noted in our cohort are active areas of research and may involve an increase in intramyocardial fat or cardiac steatosis (31-34). PHIV have a 3-fold elevation in intramyocardial fat and a relationship among the increase in intramyocardial fat, serum lipids, visceral fat, and impairment in measures of both diastolic and systolic function (34). In support of this, PHIV with HF who received PI-based ART in our study had a lower LVEF and a higher PASP as compared with patients who had NPI-based regimens. Additionally, the findings of a higher PASP and a lower LVEF were consistent across all types of HF. PI-based ARTs have been linked to an increase in PASP in other cohorts with HIV without HF (9). For example, in a prospective observational study of 322 PHIV without HF who underwent an echocardiogram, Mondy et al. (9) reported an elevated PASP in 23% and an association between PI use (ritonavir boosted) and the increased PASP. Additionally, emerging data suggest that ritonavir-boosted PIs may increase myocardial fibrosis, in turn reducing systolic and diastolic function (7,35,36). Another example, by Laurence et al. (7) in a mouse model using boosting doses of ritonavir, reported that PIs were associated with an increase expression of transforming growth factor beta-1, leading to an increase in myocardial fibrosis and a lower LVEF.
There was an association between socioeconomic parameters (e.g., education level and employment status) and CV outcomes among PHIV with HF. Lower education level (high school or GED status) and employment status have been shown to be associated with poor HF outcomes among HIV-uninfected individuals (37,38). However, there are few data linking socioeconomic parameters with HF outcomes among PHIV. The present study demonstrated an inverse association between lower education level and CV mortality and 30-day HF readmission and a positive association between unemployment and 30-day HF readmission. Future studies will need to focus on whether additional teaching and early post-discharge follow-up may have positive impacts on CV outcomes in this cohort.
Study limitations
This was a retrospective cohort study in a single U.S. urban tertiary care center of PHIV hospitalized with HF and thus a high-risk group. We do not have a denominator for the number of patients seen with HF in an outpatient setting, with and without HIV, and it is unclear whether PI use is associated with a difference in outcomes among PHIV with HF who were not hospitalized. Despite an ART being prescribed in 90% of the cohort, viral suppression was noted in 62%. The level of viral suppression may be inferior to that noted in more updated registries and clinical trials. However, this level of viral suppression is comparable to that reported in other contemporary observational clinical cohort studies (56% to 62%) (11,20,22), and the viral suppression reported in our study is similar to that reported in a study by Hanna et al. (39) involving more than 7,196 PHIV from the same geographic location during the same time period (66%). Therefore, a potential explanation for the worse outcomes in PHIV is poor adherence to treatment for either HIV or HF. In this retrospective study, adherence could not be assessed. However, we did test whether other surrogates of adherence were different between groups. In patients with HF who do not take HF medications, both heart rate and blood pressure are increased (40,41). In our study cohort, there was no difference in blood pressure and heart rate between the PHIV who had a PI as compared with the PHIV who had a non-PI-based regimen, a finding suggesting that compliance with HF medications may be similar between groups. Finally, even though we have applied the covariates in different multivariate models for independent prediction of outcomes, the possibility of residual confounding persists.
Conclusions
Being prescribed a ritonavir-boosted PI-based ART regimen was associated with dyslipidemia, a higher prevalence of CAD, increased PASP, and lower LVEF. In follow-up, PHIV with HF who were prescribed a PI-based ART regimen were noted to be at twice the risk for 30-day HF admission and CV mortality, an effect independent of HIV control. Further research is needed to determine whether PI-based regimens, either individual regimens or as a class effect, contribute pathophysiologically to processes leading to worse outcomes in HF (e.g., myocardial fat and fibrosis) and whether these findings can be replicated in prospective cohorts.
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