Myocardial infractions (MI) are divided into two types: one that occurs spontaneously from the instability of atherosclerotic plaque, and the other that occurs due to the mismatch between oxygen demand and supply. Type-two MI is more common in general, but the frequency of MIs in HIV-infected individuals in unknown. The objective of this study is to characterize the type of MIs among HIV-infected individuals.
This is a longitudinal study that identified potential MIs among patients with HIV receiving clinical care at 6 US sites. The study included 571 patients (430 men and 14q women) with definite or probable MIs. The primary outcome of the study is the number and proportion of type-1 and type-2 MI.
Out of 571 patients with definite or probable MIs, 288 MIs were type-2, and 283 were type-1. The most common cause of type-2 MI was sepsis, bacteremia, or the recent use of cocaine or other illicit drugs. Most patients with type-2 MI were younger than 40 years and had lower CD4 counts and lipid levels than those with type-1 MI.
The research concluded that approximately half of MIs among the participants were type-2 that occurred due to heterogeneous clinical conditions, such as sepsis or the use of illicit drugs.
Ref: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/215135
