Comparison of endothelial function and cardiometabolic profiles of people living with HIV in two South African regions: the EndoAfrica study.

BACKGROUND People living with HIV (PLWH) are at risk for cardiovascular disease, but regional differences have not been studied in South Africa. We compared endothelial function and cardiometabolic markers in PLWH and HIV-free controls from two distinct South African regions. METHODS We measured flow-mediated dilation (FMD), cardiometabolic, immunological and viral markers in age- and gender-matched PLWH on antiretroviral therapy (n = 100/group) and HIV-free participants (n = 50/group) in samples from cohort studies in the North West and Western Cape provinces. RESULTS Endothelial function and cardiometabolic profiles were not worse in PLWH than in HIV-free individuals, and %FMD was not associated with cardiometabolic, viral or immunological markers. PLWH from the North West region had lower %FMD but overall better metabolic profiles. CONCLUSIONS Ethnic, cultural and socio-economic differences need further investigation to understand the possible protective role of antiretroviral treatment on the vasculature and to direct region-specific HIV and AIDS guidelines in South Africa.