ABSTRACT
Abstract It remains unclear whether increased inflammatory and cardiovascular risk biomarkers differ depending on the class of antiretroviral that is used. This study evaluated the plasma levels of inflammatory and cardiovascular risk biomarkers, such as MPO, hs-CRP, glucose, lipid profile, ALT (GPT), AST (GOT), urea and creatinine, as well as the blood count, of all the 164 participants in the study, either infected or un-infected with HIV. Thirty of the 104 HIV-infected individuals did not receive any antiretroviral; twenty-four of them were treated with non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor class; and fifty took protease inhibitors. The control group consisted of sixty non-HIV infected individuals. In the case of the HIV-infected volunteers, the CD4+ T lymphocyte counts and viral load were also analyzed. Regardless of the hematological and biochemical changes resulting from the antiretroviral therapy (ART), the MPO and hs-CRP values significantly increased for the HIV-infected individuals (treated or untreated), irrespective of the class of ART that was used. This is important because these biomarkers are designed to be predictors of the risk of cardiovascular disease. The results of this study provide supporting evidence for the hypothesis that HIV-infected individuals are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease related to chronic inflammations, despite virological control with ART, and regardless of the class of ART that is used.