Abstract

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been shown to substantially reduce morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive patients. However, long-term management of patients on ART may affect their lipid metabolism and predispose them to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Objective: This study was aimed at investigating the effects of HIV infection and ART treatment on the serum lipid profile of HIV/AIDS patients.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on an equal number of HIV positive ART-naïve patients, ART-initiated patients, and apparently healthy HIV negative control subjects (n = 100). Serum lipid parameters were determined using colorimetric techniques. Independent sample t-test statistical analyses were carried out on the laboratory results using SPSS.20. p-Value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Result: The mean (standard error of the mean [SEM]) duration of treatment with ART was 20.77 ± 11.5 months. The mean serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) of ART-naïve patients was significantly lower than the control group (p = 0.001). Similarly, the mean serum total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) of patients on ART were significantly higher ( p = 0.001), whereas HDL-C was significantly lower compared with the control subjects (p = 0.021). The mean serum TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C of the ART-initiated group were significantly higher compared with the ART-naïve group (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Infection with HIV is characterized by a decrease in the serum HDL-C levels. Furthermore, the treatment with ART significantly increases plasma concentration of TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C. HIV patients on ART in Cameroon should therefore be closely monitored for alterations in their lipid profile levels.