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Sonographically measured perirenal fat thickness: An early predictor of atherosclerosis in HIV‐1‐infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy?
Author(s) -
Grima Pierfrancesco,
Guido Marcello,
Zizza Antonella,
Chiavaroli Roberto
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of clinical ultrasound
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.272
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1097-0096
pISSN - 0091-2751
DOI - 10.1002/jcu.20664
Subject(s) - medicine , intima media thickness , prospective cohort study , ultrasound , antiretroviral therapy , obesity , linear regression , gastroenterology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , cohort , cardiology , nuclear medicine , carotid arteries , viral load , radiology , immunology , machine learning , computer science
Purpose. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether perirenal fat thickness (PRFT), a parameter of central obesity, is related to carotid intima‐media thickness (IMT), an index of atherosclerosis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐1‐infected patients. Methods. We enrolled 70 consecutive HIV‐1‐infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy for more than 12 months, in a prospective cohort study. Sonographically measured PRFT and carotid IMT, as well as serum metabolic parameters, were evaluated. PRFT and IMT were measured using 3.75‐MHz convex and 7.5‐MHz linear probes, respectively. Results. The mean PRFT and IMT in HIV‐1‐infected patients with visceral obesity was significantly greater than those in patients without it ( p < 0.0001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Using the average IMT as the dependent variable in regression analysis, PRFT was an independent factor associated with carotid IMT ( p < 0.05). A PRFT of 6.4 mm was the most discriminatory value for predicting an IMT ≥ 0.9 mm (sensitivity 83.3%, specificity 83.9%). Subjects with visceral obesity had a progressively increasing carotid IMT on the 12‐month measurement ( p < 0.05). Conclusion. Our data demonstrated that PRFT measurement could be used as an early predictor of IMT increase in HIV‐1‐infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 2010