I Current methods to predict the risk of heart attack and stroke vastly underestimate the risk in individuals with HIV, which is nearly double that of the general population, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. "The actual risk of heart attack for people with HIV was roughly 50 percent higher than predicted by the risk calculator many physicians use for the general population," said a cardiovascular disease fellow at University. The higher risk for heart attack is about 1.5 to two times greater than in people whose virus is undetectable in their blood because of antiretroviral drugs.
Accurately predicting an individual's risk helps determine whether he or she should take medications such as statins to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. "If you have a higher risk for heart attack or stroke, your ability to benefit from one of these drugs is greater and justifies the…
