Abstract
Blood lipids and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) are used to assess cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We evaluated in a cross-sectional design the relationship of hsCRP to markers of liver function (aspartate and alanine transaminases [AST and ALT, respectively]), CVD risk factors and HIV-disease progression markers in 226 HIV-1 sero-positive drug users. hsCRP showed a significant inverse relationship with ALT and high-density lipoprotein, independent of age, gender, viral load, CD4 cellcount and antiretroviral (ARV) use, and was not significantly associated with HIV-disease progression markers. Serum markers of liver damage, AST and ALT, were associated with lower hsCRP, total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins and triglycerides. Elevated liver enzymes (≥40 IU/L) were predictive of hsCRP levels that are considered a low risk for CVD. In conclusion, hsCRP may not be a reliable marker of CVD risk in populations with HIV at-risk for elevated liver enzymes due to high hepatitis B virus/hepatitis C virus prevalence and ARV use.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 410-413 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | International Journal of STD and AIDS |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2008 |
Keywords
- ALT
- AST
- C-reactive protein
- CVD risk
- HIV-1
- Liver damage
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Dermatology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Pharmacology (medical)
- Infectious Diseases