Cardiovascular Risk Assessment for Persons Living With HIV

Systematic assessment of cardiovascular risk among persons living with HIV (PLWH) has become more important as HIV survival has increased. Since the advent of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), PLWH often enjoy life expectancies equal to those of the general population. PLWH then share the same comorbidities as the general population, with some increased risks due to HIV and ART. One comorbidity, cardiovascular disease, is the leading cause of death in the United States. As the current population of PLWH ages, reducing cardiovascular risk will become even more important. Before cardiovascular risk reduction can take place, providers must first know the patient’s risks. This paper describes the importance of cardiovascular risk assessment for PLWH based on current literature and presents findings from a quality-improvement (QI) initiative designed to implement systematic cardiovascular assessment using the Framingham Risk (FR) for PLWH in an infectious-disease practice.