Abstract: Atherogenic cardiovascular risk assessment is important in the
management of dyslipidaemia associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Generally, Castelli?s Risk Index (CRI), Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP) and
Atherogenic coefficient (AC) are becoming useful indices as risk predictors for
cardiovascular disease (CVD). We studied the importance of these indices in
identifying at-risk HIV individuals receiving treatment. Eighty (80) HIV-patients
comprising treatment (n=40) and treatment-naïve (n=40) groups with age- and sexmatched
were enrolled. Traditional lipid parameters {Total cholesterol (TC),
Triglycerol (TG), and HDLc} were analyzed using spectrophotometry. The LDLc
was calculated using Friedewald equation. Non-HDLc, CRI-I (TC/HDLc ratio) and
CRI-II (LDLc/HDLc ratio), AIP {Log10 (TG/HDL-c)} and AC {(Non-
HDLc)/HDLc} were also calculated. The CD4+ cell count was determined using
flow cytometry. The correlations between atherogenic indices and lipid profile
were determined using Pearson?s correlation. P < 0.05 was considered as
significant. Risk estimation by stratification based on number of altered lipid
profile parameter showed no significant increase (P>0.05) in any of the traditional
lipid profile parameters except for HDLc with significant elevation (P<0.001)
across the strata. Remarkably, all estimated atherogenic indices were found
significantly high (P<0.001) across the strata. However, these indices showed
positive significant correlations with LDLc and nonHDLc (p<0.001), but negative
significant correlations with HDLc (p<0.01). In this present study, the estimated
risk indices were suggestive of atherogenicity that helped identifying individuals
with dyslipidemia at risk of CVD. Findings from this study also indicated that
without markedly deranged lipid profile these estimated indices could serve as
more sensitive risk predictors.
Keywords: Antiretroviral Therapy; Atherogenic Coefficient; Atherogenic Index of
Plasma; Castelli?s Risk Index; Cardiovascular Disease; Dyslipidemia.