Dissociation of aortic pulse wave velocity from risk factors for cardiovascular disease other than hypertension and age: a prospective study on frailty in HIV-infected patients.

Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) is a measure of arterial stiffness (arteriosclerosis) and vascular ageing. Both in cross-sectional and prospective studies it was a predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD)events independent of traditional risk factors for artherosclerosis. CVD is an increasing cause of morbidity and mortality among HIV-infected patients: traditional and non-traditional risk factors are involved. We hypothesized that factors influencing PWV may measure biological ageing in these patients. Therefore we aimed to identify predictors of PWV change over time in HIV-infected patients on stable antiretroviral therapy.