HIV-Associated Myocardial Diastolic Dysfunction and Soluble ST2 Concentration in Tanzanian Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Dr. Justin Kingery, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, led a recent study in Mwanza, Tanzania to investigate the mechanisms of heart failure from diastolic dysfunction in HIV infected people. Patients with HIV are known to be at increased risk for heart failure, but the mechanisms that explain this risk remain unknown. Dr. Kingery’s research suggest that chronic inflammation of the heart may explain this risk and this finding may in turn lead to new treatment and prevention strategies for people with HIV.

The cross-sectional study assessed the prevalence of myocardial diastolic dysfunction (DD) in HIV infected ART-naive and HIV uninfected people in Tanzania. HIV was found to be associated with myocardial diastolic dysfunction, with disease occurring at a very young age when compared to HIV negative people. The concentration of a biomarker of inflammation (sST2) in serum was found to be associated with DD in people living with HIV but not in the uninfected population. This study and the pathway between ST2 and DD may provide insight into the mechanisms behind HIV-associated dysfunction. 

This study is part of the Weill Cornell Center for Global Health’s on-going efforts to address cardiovascular diseases in low and middle income countries such as Tanzania. Cardiovascular disease is now the leading cause of death in low-middle income countries.

Read the full paper “HIV-Associated Myocardial Diastolic Dysfunction and Soluble ST2 Concentration in Tanzanian Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.”