Review

Ankle-brachial index in HIV infection

Julián Olalla¹ , Daniel Salas¹ , Javier de la Torre¹ , Alfonso del Arco¹ , José Luis Prada¹ , Francisco Martos² , Emilio Perea-Milla^3,4 and Javier García-Alegría^1,4

¹  Unidad de Medicina Interna, Hospital Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain

²  Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Farmacología, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain

³  Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain

⁴  CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain

author email corresponding author email

AIDS Research and Therapy 2009, 6:6doi:10.1186/1742-6405-6-6

Published:	27 April 2009

Abstract

Prognosis for patients with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has improved with the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Evidence over recent years suggests that the incidence of cardiovascular disease is increasing in HIV patients. The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is a cheap and easy test that has been validated in the general population. Abnormal ABI values are associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. To date, six series of ABI values in persons with HIV have been published, but none was a prospective study. No agreement exists concerning the risk factors for an abnormal ABI, though its prevalence is clearly higher in these patients than in the general population. Whether this higher prevalence of an abnormal ABI is associated with a higher incidence of vascular events remains to be determined.