Abstract
HIV-associated cardiomyopathy is a well-established sequela in people infected with HIV (PHIV). Despite significant advances in HIV management through the use of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART), PHIV on HAART continue to have elevated risk of cardiomyopathy and heart failure, even when accounting for known cardiovascular risk factors. This review article will explore the proposed mechanisms by which chronic HIV infection induces cardiomyopathy and heart failure in the setting of HAART. Evaluation, work-up, and management of cardiomyopathy in PHIV will also be briefly discussed. The advent of HAART has altered the pathophysiology HIV-associated cardiomyopathy from a rapidly progressive cardiomyopathy, often with pericardial involvement, into a chronic process involving inflammation and persistent immune dysregulation. With the significant decrease in AIDS-related deaths, the prevalence of cardiomyopathy and the mortality associated with heart failure in PHIV have increased. Multiple immune-related and inflammatory mechanisms have been proposed, which may provide insight into evaluation and management of cardiomyopathy in PHIV.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bloomfield GS, Alenezi F, Barasa FA, Lumsden R, Mayosi BM, Velazquez EJ (2015) Human immunodeficiency virus and heart failure in low- and middle-income countries. JACC Heart Fail 3(8):579–590
Prevention CfDCa. Diagnosis of HIV infection in the United States and dependent areas, 2017. HIV Surveill Rep 2017;29.
Johnson LF, Mossong J, Dorrington RE, Schomaker M, Hoffmann CJ, Keiser O et al (2013) Life expectancies of South African adults starting antiretroviral treatment: collaborative analysis of cohort studies. PLoS Med 10(4):e1001418
Bloomfield GS, Leung C (2017) Cardiac disease associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Cardiol Clin 35(1):59–70
Shah ASV, Stelzle D, Lee KK, Beck EJ, Alam S, Clifford S et al (2018) Global burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV. Circulation 138(11):1100–1112
Triant VA, Perez J, Regan S, Massaro JM, Meigs JB, Grinspoon SK et al (2018) Cardiovascular risk prediction functions underestimate risk in HIV infection. Circulation 137(21):2203–2214
Currie PF, Boon NA (2003) Immunopathogenesis of HIV-related heart muscle disease: current perspectives. AIDS (London, England) 17(Suppl 1):S21–S28
Felker GM, Thompson RE, Hare JM, Hruban RH, Clemetson DE, Howard DL et al (2000) Underlying causes and long-term survival in patients with initially unexplained cardiomyopathy. N Engl J Med 342(15):1077–1084
Deeks SG, Lewin SR, Havlir DV (2013) The end of AIDS: HIV infection as a chronic disease. Lancet 382(9903):1525–1533
Holloway CJ, Ntusi N, Suttie J, Mahmod M, Wainwright E, Clutton G et al (2013) Comprehensive cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy reveal a high burden of myocardial disease in HIV patients. Circulation 128(8):814–822
Erqou S, Lodebo BT, Masri A, Altibi AM, Echouffo-Tcheugui JB, Dzudie A et al (2019) Cardiac dysfunction among people living with HIV: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JACC Heart Fail 7(2):98–108
Freiberg MS, Chang CH, Skanderson M, Patterson OV, DuVall SL, Brandt CA et al (2017) Association between HIV infection and the risk of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and preserved ejection fraction in the antiretroviral therapy era: results from the veterans aging cohort study. JAMA Cardiol 2(5):536–546
Bhatia RS, Tu JV, Lee DS, Austin PC, Fang J, Haouzi A et al (2006) Outcome of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in a population-based study. The New England journal of medicine 355(3):260–269
Owan TE, Hodge DO, Herges RM, Jacobsen SJ, Roger VL, Redfield MM (2006) Trends in prevalence and outcome of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. The New England journal of medicine 355(3):251–259
Currie PF, Jacob AJ, Foreman AR, Elton RA, Brettle RP, Boon NA (1994) Heart muscle disease related to HIV infection: prognostic implications. BMJ (Clinical research ed) 309(6969):1605–1607
Cerrato E, D’Ascenzo F, Biondi-Zoccai G, Calcagno A, Frea S, Grosso Marra W et al (2013) Cardiac dysfunction in pauci symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus patients: a meta-analysis in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era. Eur Heart J 34(19):1432–1436
Remick J, Georgiopoulou V, Marti C, Ofotokun I, Kalogeropoulos A, Lewis W et al (2014) Heart failure in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection: epidemiology, pathophysiology, treatment, and future research. Circulation 129(17):1781–1789
Al-Kindi SG, ElAmm C, Ginwalla M, Mehanna E, Zacharias M, Benatti R et al (2016) Heart failure in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection: epidemiology and management disparities. Int J Cardiol 218:43–46
Gopal M, Bhaskaran A, Khalife WI, Barbagelata A (2009) Heart disease in patients with HIV/AIDS—an emerging clinical problem. Curr Cardiol Rev 5(2):149–154
Inamdar AA, Inamdar AC (2016) Heart Failure: Diagnosis, Management and Utilization. J Clin Med. 5(7):62
Nou E, Lo J, Grinspoon SK (2016) Inflammation, immune activation, and cardiovascular disease in HIV. Aids 30(10):1495–1509
Shrestha S, Irvin MR, Grunfeld C, Arnett DK (2014) HIV, inflammation, and calcium in atherosclerosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 34(2):244–250
Kearns A, Gordon J, Burdo TH, Qin X (2017) HIV-1-associated atherosclerosis: unraveling the missing link. J Am Coll Cardiol 69(25):3084–3098
Subramanian S, Tawakol A, Burdo TH, Abbara S, Wei J, Vijayakumar J et al (2012) Arterial inflammation in patients with HIV. JAMA 308(4):379–386
Zanni MV, Toribio M, Robbins GK, Burdo TH, Lu MT, Ishai AE et al (2016) Effects of antiretroviral therapy on immune function and arterial inflammation in treatment-naive patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection. JAMA Cardiol 1(4):474–480
Kawaguchi M, Hay I, Fetics B, Kass DA (2003) Combined ventricular systolic and arterial stiffening in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction: implications for systolic and diastolic reserve limitations. Circulation 107(5):714–720
Thiara DK, Liu CY, Raman F, Mangat S, Purdy JB, Duarte HA et al (2015) Abnormal myocardial function is related to myocardial steatosis and diffuse myocardial fibrosis in HIV-infected adults. J Infect Dis 212(10):1544–1551
Fernandes VR, Polak JF, Cheng S, Rosen BD, Carvalho B, Nasir K et al (2008) Arterial stiffness is associated with regional ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 28(1):194–201
Ross AC, Rizk N, O’Riordan MA, Dogra V, El-Bejjani D, Storer N et al (2009) Relationship between inflammatory markers, endothelial activation markers, and carotid intima-media thickness in HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy. Clin Infect Dis : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 49(7):1119–1127
Leite LHM, Cohen A, Boccara F (2017) HIV infection and aortic stiffness. Arch Cardiovasc Dis 110(8–9):495–502
Duprez DA, Neuhaus J, Kuller LH, Tracy R, Belloso W, De Wit S et al (2012) Inflammation, coagulation and cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected individuals. PLoS ONE 7(9):e44454
Kuller LH, Tracy R, Belloso W, De Wit S, Drummond F, Lane HC et al (2008) Inflammatory and coagulation biomarkers and mortality in patients with HIV infection. PLoS Med 5(10):e203
Fiala M, Popik W, Qiao JH, Lossinsky AS, Alce T, Tran K et al (2004) HIV-1 induces cardiomyopathyby cardiomyocyte invasion and gp120, Tat, and cytokine apoptotic signaling. Cardiovasc Toxicol 4(2):97–107
Valdez H (2002) Immune restoration after treatment of HIV-1 infection with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). AIDS Rev 4(3):157–164
Pedersen KK, Pedersen M, Gaardbo JC, Ronit A, Hartling HJ, Bruunsgaard H et al (2013) Persisting inflammation and chronic immune activation but intact cognitive function in HIV-infected patients after long-term treatment with combination antiretroviral therapy. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr (1999) 63(3):272–279
Ronsholt FF, Ullum H, Katzenstein TL, Gerstoft J, Ostrowski SR (2013) Persistent inflammation and endothelial activation in HIV-1 infected patients after 12 years of antiretroviral therapy. PLoS ONE 8(6):e65182
Vinikoor MJ, Cope A, Gay CL, Ferrari G, McGee KS, Kuruc JD et al (2013) Antiretroviral therapy initiated during acute HIV infection fails to prevent persistent T-cell activation. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr (1999) 62(5):505–508
Damas JK, Landro L, Fevang B, Heggelund L, Tjonnfjord GE, Floisand Y et al (2009) Homeostatic chemokines CCL19 and CCL21 promote inflammation in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with ongoing viral replication. Clin Exp Immunol 157(3):400–407
Li M, Georgakopoulos D, Lu G, Hester L, Kass DA, Hasday J et al (2005) p38 MAP kinase mediates inflammatory cytokine induction in cardiomyocytes and extracellular matrix remodeling in heart. Circulation 111(19):2494–2502
Monsuez JJ, Escaut L, Teicher E, Charniot JC, Vittecoq D (2007) Cytokines in HIV-associated cardiomyopathy. Int J Cardiol 120(2):150–157
Yearley JH, Mansfield KG, Carville AA, Sokos GG, Xia D, Pearson CB et al (2008) Antigenic stimulation in the simian model of HIV infection yields dilated cardiomyopathy through effects of TNFalpha. AIDS (London, England) 22(5):585–594
Pozzan G, Pagliari C, Tuon FF, Takakura CF, Kauffman MR, Duarte MI (2009) Diffuse-regressive alterations and apoptosis of myocytes: possible causes of myocardial dysfunction in HIV-related cardiomyopathy. Int J Cardiol 132(1):90–95
Kan H, Xie Z, Finkel MS (2000) HIV gp120 enhances NO production by cardiac myocytes through p38 MAP kinase-mediated NF-kappaB activation. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 279(6):H3138–H3143
Currie PF, Goldman JH, Caforio AL, Jacob AJ, Baig MK, Brettle RP et al (1998) Cardiac autoimmunity in HIV related heart muscle disease. Heart (British Cardiac Society) 79(6):599–604
Nordell AD, McKenna M, Borges AH, Duprez D, Neuhaus J, Neaton JD (2014) Severity of cardiovascular disease outcomes among patients with HIV is related to markers of inflammation and coagulation. J Am Heart Assoc 3(3):e000844
Tenorio AR, Zheng Y, Bosch RJ, Krishnan S, Rodriguez B, Hunt PW et al (2014) Soluble markers of inflammation and coagulation but not T-cell activation predict non-AIDS-defining morbid events during suppressive antiretroviral treatment. J Infect Dis 210(8):1248–1259
Magnani JW, Dec GW (2006) Myocarditis: current trends in diagnosis and treatment. Circulation 113(6):876–890
Herskowitz A, Wu TC, Willoughby SB, Vlahov D, Ansari AA, Beschorner WE et al (1994) Myocarditis and cardiotropic viral infection associated with severe left ventricular dysfunction in late-stage infection with human immunodeficiency virus. J Am Coll Cardiol 24(4):1025–1032
Barbaro G, Di Lorenzo G, Grisorio B, Barbarini G (1998) Incidence of dilated cardiomyopathy and detection of HIV in myocardial cells of HIV-positive patients. Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio Cardiologico dei Pazienti Affetti da AIDS. N Engl J Med 339(16):1093–1099
Barbaro G (2005) HIV-associated cardiomyopathy etiopathogenesis and clinical aspects. Herz 30(6):486–492
Longo-Mbenza B, Seghers KV, Phuati M, Bikangi FN, Mubagwa K (1998) Heart involvement and HIV infection in African patients: determinants of survival. Int J Cardiol 64(1):63–73
Luetkens JA, Doerner J, Schwarze-Zander C, Wasmuth JC, Boesecke C, Sprinkart AM et al (2016) Cardiac magnetic resonance reveals signs of subclinical myocardial inflammation in asymptomatic HIV-infected patients. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 9(3):e004091
Ntusi N, O’Dwyer E, Dorrell L, Wainwright E, Piechnik S, Clutton G et al (2016) HIV-1-related cardiovascular disease is associated with chronic inflammation, frequent pericardial effusions, and probable myocardial edema. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 9(3):e004430
Zanni MV, Awadalla M, Toribio M, Robinson J, Stone LA, Cagliero D et al (2020) Immune correlates of diffuse myocardial fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction among aging women with human immunodeficiency virus. J Infect Dis 221(8):1315–1320
Feinstein MJ, Mitter SS, Yadlapati A, Achenbach CJ, Palella FJ Jr, Gonzalez PE et al (2016) HIV-related myocardial vulnerability to infarction and coronary artery disease. J Am Coll Cardiol 68(18):2026–2027
Fitch KV, DeFilippi C, Christenson R, Srinivasa S, Lee H, Lo J et al (2016) Subclinical myocyte injury, fibrosis and strain in relationship to coronary plaque in asymptomatic HIV-infected individuals. AIDS (London, England) 30(14):2205–2214
Secemsky EA, Scherzer R, Nitta E, Wu AH, Lange DC, Deeks SG et al (2015) Novel biomarkers of cardiac stress, cardiovascular dysfunction, and outcomes in HIV-infected individuals. JACC Heart Fail 3(8):591–599
Kania G, Blyszczuk P, Eriksson U (2009) Mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis in inflammatory heart disease. Trends Cardiovasc Med 19(8):247–252
Friis-Moller N, Sabin CA, Weber R, d’Arminio Monforte A, El-Sadr WM, Reiss P et al (2003) Combination antiretroviral therapy and the risk of myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 349(21):1993–2003
Friis-Moller N, Reiss P, Sabin CA, Weber R, Monforte A, El-Sadr W et al (2007) Class of antiretroviral drugs and the risk of myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 356(17):1723–1735
Brayson D, Frustaci A, Verardo R, Chimenti C, Russo MA, Hayward R, et al. Prelamin A mediates myocardial inflammation in dilated and HIV-associated cardiomyopathies. JCI insight. 2019;4(22).
Hruz PW, Yan Q, Struthers H, Jay PY (2008) HIV protease inhibitors that block GLUT4 precipitate acute, decompensated heart failure in a mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy. FASEB J : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 22(7):2161–2167
Alvi RM, Neilan AM, Tariq N, Awadalla M, Afshar M, Banerji D et al (2018) Protease inhibitors and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with HIV and heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol 72(5):518–530
Caron M, Auclairt M, Vissian A, Vigouroux C, Capeau J (2008) Contribution of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress to cellular premature senescence induced by antiretroviral thymidine analogues. Antivir Ther 13(1):27–38
Pugliese A, Isnardi D, Saini A, Scarabelli T, Raddino R, Torre D (2000) Impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy in HIV-positive patients with cardiac involvement. J Infect 40(3):282–284
Bijl M, Dieleman JP, Simoons M, van der Ende ME (2001) Low prevalence of cardiac abnormalities in an HIV-seropositive population on antiretroviral combination therapy. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr (1999) 27(3):318–320
Diaz-Zamudio M, Dey D, LaBounty T, Nelson M, Fan Z, Szczepaniak LS et al (2015) Increased pericardial fat accumulation is associated with increased intramyocardial lipid content and duration of highly active antiretroviral therapy exposure in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus: a 3T cardiovascular magnetic resonance feasibility study. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson : official journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance 17:91
Lewis W, Grupp IL, Grupp G, Hoit B, Morris R, Samarel AM et al (2000) Cardiac dysfunction occurs in the HIV-1 transgenic mouse treated with zidovudine. Lab Invest 80(2):187–197
Lewis W, Simpson JF, Meyer RR (1994) Cardiac mitochondrial DNA polymerase-gamma is inhibited competitively and noncompetitively by phosphorylated zidovudine. Circ Res 74(2):344–348
Lipshultz SE, Wilkinson JD, Thompson B, Cheng I, Briston DA, Shearer WT et al (2017) Cardiac effects of highly active antiretroviral therapy in perinatally HIV-infected children: the CHAART-2 Study. J Am Coll Cardiol 70(18):2240–2247
Anderson DW, Virmani R (1990) Emerging patterns of heart disease in human immunodeficiency virus infection. Hum Pathol 21(3):253–259
Liao CT, Yang CT, Chen PH, Toh HS, Kuo S, Chen ZC, et al. Association of adherence to antiretroviral therapy with economic burden of cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected population. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2020:2047487320908085.
Feinstein MJ, Hsue PY, Benjamin LA, Bloomfield GS, Currier JS, Freiberg MS et al (2019) Characteristics, prevention, and management of cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation 140(2):e98–e124
Mdodo R, Frazier EL, Dube SR, Mattson CL, Sutton MY, Brooks JT et al (2015) Cigarette smoking prevalence among adults with HIV compared with the general adult population in the United States: cross-sectional surveys. Ann Intern Med 162(5):335–344
Freiberg MS, McGinnis KA, Kraemer K, Samet JH, Conigliaro J, Curtis Ellison R et al (2010) The association between alcohol consumption and prevalent cardiovascular diseases among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr (1999) 53(2):247–253
d’Ettorre G, Ceccarelli G, Giustini N, Mastroianni CM, Silvestri G, Vullo V (2014) Taming HIV-related inflammation with physical activity: a matter of timing. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 30(10):936–944
Ladapo JA, Richards AK, DeWitt CM, Harawa NT, Shoptaw S, Cunningham WE et al (2017) Disparities in the quality of cardiovascular care between HIV-infected versus HIV-uninfected adults in the United States: a cross-sectional study. J Am Heart Assoc 6(11):e007107
deFilippi C, Christenson R, Joyce J, Park EA, Wu A, Fitch KV et al (2018) Brief report: statin effects on myocardial fibrosis markers in people living with HIV. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr (1999) 78(1):105–110
Barouch DH, Deeks SG (2014) Immunologic strategies for HIV-1 remission and eradication. Science 345(6193):169–174
Chandel N, Ayasolla K, Lan X, Rai P, Mikulak J, Husain M et al (2014) Renin modulates HIV replication in T cells. J Leukoc Biol 96(4):601–609
Murphy CA, Fitch KV, Feldpausch M, Maehler P, Wong K, Torriani M et al (2018) Excessive adiposity and metabolic dysfunction relate to reduced natriuretic peptide during RAAS activation in HIV. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 103(4):1558–1565
Vecchiet J, Ucciferri C, Falasca K, Mancino P, Di Iorio A, De Caterina R (2011) Antihypertensive and metabolic effects of telmisartan in hypertensive HIV-positive patients. Antivir Ther 16(5):639–645
Effects of Sacubitril/Valsartan on subclinical heart failure in HIV (The ENCHANTMENT HIV Study). https://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT04153136.
Feinstein MJ, Steverson AB, Ning H, Pawlowski AE, Schneider D, Ahmad FS et al (2018) Adjudicated heart failure in HIV-infected and uninfected men and women. J Am Heart Assoc 7(21):e009985
Smith CJ, Ryom L, Weber R, Morlat P, Pradier C, Reiss P et al (2014) Trends in underlying causes of death in people with HIV from 1999 to 2011 (D:A:D): a multicohort collaboration. Lancet 384(9939):241–248
Funding
Role of the funder: The funding source had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Choi, H., Dey, A.K., Sharma, G. et al. Etiology and pathophysiology of heart failure in people with HIV. Heart Fail Rev 26, 497–505 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10741-020-10048-8
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10741-020-10048-8