Management of dyslipidaemia in an HIV‐positive cohort

Background Dyslipidaemia, secondary to both HIV and the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is well recognised, with HIV replication and immune status also thought to contribute to the risk. Traditionally the HIV physician has looked after HIV with primary care physicians (GP) managing non‐HIV‐related medical issues. However with the ageing population and the effectiveness of ART the HIV physician is diversifying to focus management strategies on preventative measures also. Method 127 subjects were recruited. All subjects were HIV‐positive males without any traditional cardiovascular disease symptoms or history. Details of patients demographics, family history, statin therapy, and primary care physician contact were collected. Baseline parameters were recorded and fasting bloods taken. Results 127 asymptomatic HIV‐positive males were recruited. 74/127 (58.3%) met the EACS criteria for statin prescription. 33/74 (44.6%) were on a statin. There was no significant difference between the class of antiretroviral prescribed, (NNRTI v PI) and lipid abnormalities (p=0.628). Hypertension and increased waist:hip ratio significantly increased the chances of the patient being hyperlipidaemic. Patients were more likely to be prescribed a statin if they were older, had hypertension, an increased waist circumference, increased Framingham risk, increased brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), or were diagnosed HIV‐positive for longer (p<0.05). Pravastatin (21/33 [63.6%]), was most commonly prescribed statin. 24.2% received their statin prescription from their HIV physician, with 75.8% receiving their prescription from their GP. 5/21 (23.8%) on pravastatin met the target verses 7/7 (100%) on atorvastatin verses 2/2 (100%) on simvastatin versus 1/3 (33.3%) on rosuvastatin (p=0.02). Meeting lipid targets was less successful in the protease inhibitor group (1/9) 11.1% versus 11/21 (52.4%) in the NNRTI group (p=0.16). Conclusion The majority met criteria for lipid management but less than half of those were prescribed it. Of those, most received treatment from their GP. Nearly half of those on statins did not meet lipid targets. HIV physicians were most likely to prescribe pravastatin and those on pravastatin were the least likely to achieve lipid targets when compared to the other statins. HIV physicians need to diversify their knowledge base and have clearly defined management strategies for the management of dyslipidaemia.