Intact parathyroid hormone levels are associated with increased carotid intima media thickness in HIV infected patients

Aim. Preliminary evidence suggests that intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and bone mineral abnormalities may contribute to the development of vascular disease and are associated with reduced survival in the general population. Whether iPTH is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in HIV-infected individuals has not been elucidated. Methods. Cross-sectional study of 470 consecutive HIV-infected patients in whom we measured carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), and collected demographical, clinical and laboratory data. High-cIMT was defined as a mean IMT above the 75th percentile for the study cohort. Parametric, non-parametric tests and logistic regression analyses were used to compare patients' characteristics between low- and high-cIMT and to test the association between high-cIMT and log-transformed iPTH. Results. Of the 470 patients, 130 had high-cIMT. High-cIMT subjects were older and more likely to be male and have a history of cardiovascular disease. Glucose, lipid and iPTH levels were lower among low-cIMT subjects (p < 0.05). Unadjusted and multivariable adjusted analyses demonstrated an independent association between high-cIMT and iPTH (fully adjusted OR: 1.74; 95%CI: 1.08–2.79; p = 0.021). Bootstrap and sensitivity analyses confirmed these findings. Conclusions. Elevated iPTH was associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in HIV-infected subjects. Of note this association was statistically significant even for iPTH values within the range of normality. The existence of a causal relationship between iPTH and atherosclerosis needs to be fully explored in future investigations.