Background: People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) are characterized by excess risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and CVD risk factors compared to uninfected individuals. We investigated the association between HIV infection and abdominal obesity, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), hypertriglyceridemia, and hypertension in a large cohort of predominantly well-treated PLWH and matched controls.

Methods: 1099 PLWH from the Copenhagen Co-morbidity in HIV Infection Study and 12 161 age- and sex-matched uninfected controls from the Copenhagen General Population Study were included and underwent blood pressure, waist, hip, weight, and height measurements and nonfasting blood samples. We assessed whether HIV was independently associated with abdominal obesity, elevated LDL-C, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypertension using logistic regression models adjusted for known risk factors.

Results: HIV infection was associated with higher risk of abdominal obesity (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.92 [1.60-2.30]) for a given body mass index, elevated LDL-C (aOR, 1.32 [1.09-1.59]), hypertriglyceridemia (aOR, 1.76 [1.49-2.08]), and lower risk of hypertension (aOR, 0.63 [0.54-0.74]). The excess odds of abdominal obesity in PLWH was stronger with older age (p interaction, 0.001). Abdominal obesity was associated with elevated LDL-C (aOR, 1.44 [1.23-1.69]), hypertension (aOR, 1.32 [1.16-1.49]), and hypertriglyceridemia (aOR, 2.12 [1.86-2.41]).

Conclusions: Abdominal obesity was associated with proaterogenic metabolic factors including elevated LDL-C, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia and remains a distinct HIV-related phenotype, particularly among older PLWH. Effective interventions to reduce the apparent detrimental impact on cardiovascular risk from this phenotype are needed.