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Facing new health challenges: The role of HIV infection and the risk of cardiovascular disease in a high-burden HIV population in Uganda

People living with HIV have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) compared with HIV-negative individuals, possibly linked to low-grade, long-term inflammation. With the substantial increase in antiretroviral treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, the mean age of people living with HIV is rising, and with it the risk of CVD. This is especially important since there also seems to be a genetic predisposition to CVD in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the Rakai population-based, open cohort in Uganda, data collection with almost yearly HIV tests has been ongoing since 1994 in ca 50 villages. This offers an excellent opportunity to estimate the risk of CVD in an HIV high-burden population using surveys, risk scores, anthropometric data, verbal autopsies and finally the Arteriograph armcuff to measure aortic stiffness as a proxy of early cardiovascular risk. The results from the planned studies with accurate data on onset of HIV infection, will not only help estimate the CVD risk, but also provide new insight into the pathophysiological process of development of atherosclerosis and duration of HIV infection. Starting off with this four-year project, the Karolinska and the Rakai teams, aim to develop a long-term common research agenda. Workshops and seminars will be held at both sites for this purpose, and joint publications as well as joint supervision of Master/PhD students are being planned. The project will be led by Helena Nordenstedt and Fred Nalugoda, respectively.

Project ID

SE-0-SE-29-2015-05864-285-12182

Activity status

2 - Implementation

Aid type

D02 - Other technical assistance

% to Uganda

100.00

Organisations

Funding

Sweden

Extending

The Swedish Research Council

Implementing

Karolinska Institutet

CRS code	%
Medical research (12182)	100.0