Coronary Artery Disease in People Living with HIV May Reflect Their Sensitivity to Inflammation Associated with Cytomegalovirus

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is implicated in cardiovascular disease in healthy adults and after transplantation, but analyses in people living with HIV (PLWH) are difficult as almost all have CMV co-infections. Here, we address whether coronary artery disease (CAD) is associated with levels of CMV-reactive antibodies or with sensitivity to inflammation associated with CMV. PLWH stable on antiretroviral therapy (ART) with a recent diagnosis of CAD were matched with PLWH without CAD. Plasma samples stored at the time of the CAD event and 6, 12, 24 or 36 months earlier (n = 34-55 per group) were used for analyses. Antibodies reactive with a lysate from CMV infected cells were quantitated using an in-house ELISA, and inflammatory biomarkers were assessed using commercial kits. Bivariate analyses demonstrated similar levels of CMV antibodies in PLWH with and without CAD at all time points (<i>p</i> > 0.5). However, in PLWH with CAD, levels of CMV antibody correlated directly with plasma sCD14, LBP, CXCL10 and/or IL-6 at the earlier points. These correlations were not impacted by detectable plasma HIV RNA. Our findings suggest that individual differences in sensitivity to the inflammatory effects of CMV impact upon the development of CAD.