T-cell activation, both pre- and post-HAART levels, correlates with carotid artery stiffness over 6.5 years among HIV-infected women in the WIHS.

Objective: T-cell activation is a major pathway driving HIV disease progression. Little is known regarding the impact of T-cell activation on HIV-associated atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, a common comorbidity in HIV infection. We hypothesized that T-cell activation will predict vascular stiffness, a measure of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Design: Linear regression models evaluated the covariate-adjusted association of T-cell activation with vascular stiffness.

Methods: CD38 and HLA-DR expression on CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells was assessed by flow cytometry among 59 HIV-negative and 376 HIV-infected (185 hepatitis C coinfected) women in the Women's Interagency HIV Study. T-cell activation was defined by CD8⁺CD38⁺DR+ and CD4⁺CD3⁺8DR+. Multiple activation assessments over 6.5 years were averaged. In 140 women, T-cell activation was measured before and after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) initiation. Carotid artery ultrasounds were completed a median of 6.5 years after last measurement of T-cell activation and carotid artery stiffness including distensibility and elasticity were calculated.

Results: Percentages of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell activation were significantly higher in HIV- infected compared with HIV-negative women. Among HIV-negative women, T-cell activation was not associated with carotid artery stiffness. Among HIV-infected women, higher CD4⁺ T-cell activation levels significantly predicted increased arterial stiffness independent of CD4⁺ cell count and HIV RNA. The association was stronger among HIV/hepatitis C-coinfected women compared with HIV-monoinfected women; however, the difference was not statistically significant (P for interaction >0.05). Pre- and post-HAART levels of CD4⁺ T-cell activation significantly predicted carotid artery stiffness.

Conclusions: Persistent T-cell activation, even after HAART initiation, can contribute to structural and/or functional vascular damage accelerating atherogenesis in HIV infection. These results need to be confirmed in a longitudinal prospective study.