Pilot Award Recipient: Ruth Kanthula, MD, MPH

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) allows HIV to be managed as a chronic condition. HIV and ART have been associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Risk factors for CVD have also been linked to increased thickness of blood vessels including carotid arteries. The aim of the proposed study is to characterize CVD risk in HIV infected female youth (n=20) who have been infected with the virus since infancy, compared to healthy HIV-negative, matched controls (n=20). Female HIV infected and uninfected adolescents and young adults (aged 15-40) will be recruited from Primary Care and Infectious Diseases clinics at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Cardiovascular risk factors such as family history, exposure to smoking, diet/nutrition will be assessed at enrollment. Blood will also be collected to measure lipid levels, blood glucose, and pro-inflammatory markers (i.e., high sensitivity C-reactive protein, Interleukin -6 [IL-6] and d-Dimer). Additionally, researchers will also use neck ultrasounds to measure the thickness of each study participants’ carotids arteries. Clinical and laboratory parameters will be analyzed for HIV-infected youth and compared to matched controls.