[Premature arteriosclerosis in HIV-infected patients? Current status].

Complex lipodystrophic body changes in association with metabolic abnormalities such as dyslipidemia and insulin resistance have become a common feature in HIV patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). If these metabolic changes will lead to an epidemic of cardiovascular events within the next decades, however, remains to be seen. The incidence of myocardial infarctions in HIV-infected patients continues to be low. Current data on changes of the incidence in the HAART era remains somewhat conflicting, probably due to methodological issues. In this review the key studies concerning the incidence of premature arteriosclerosis in HIV-infected patients are discussed.