{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,5]],"date-time":"2026-09-05T05:44:31Z","timestamp":1788587071474,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,15]],"date-time":"2025-08-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755216000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: AIDS-related mortality has significantly decreased due to antiretroviral therapy (ART), leading to a substantial increase in average lifespan. Consequently, cardiovascular diseases have become a growing concern among people living with HIV (PLWH). This study aimed to assess the cardiovascular risk profile of people living with HIV receiving ART and to explore the association between traditional and HIV-related factors with increased cardiovascular risk. Materials and Methods: We conducted a case study involving 112 PLWH receiving ART at a specialized clinic in southeastern Romania to estimate cardiovascular risk (CVR) using the Data Collection on Adverse Events of Anti-HIV Drugs (D:A:D\u00ae) score. For participants aged 40 and above, the SCORE2 algorithm was additionally applied. Results: Most participants were male and under 40 years of age, including 34 individuals from Romania\u2019s distinct pediatric HIV cohort. We observed a substantial cardiovascular risk burden: abdominal obesity was present in 24.1% of participants, active smoking was reported by 55.4%, and over 70% had low physical activity levels. Among participants aged 40 and above, the D:A:D\u00ae and SCORE2 scores were strongly correlated, with an average cardiovascular age exceeding chronological age by a mean of 7.5 years. Although CVR remained similarly low among subgroups of PLWH under 40, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was higher in patients from the pediatric cohort compared to those diagnosed later. Traditional risk factors\u2014such as age, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, and alcohol use\u2014as well as elevated C-reactive protein levels, were significantly associated with increased CVR. Conclusions: Residual inflammation in PLWH, despite complete viral suppression in combination with metabolic syndrome, is associated with increased cardiovascular risk even in younger and clinically stable populations. Routine integration of metabolic and cardiovascular risk screening into HIV care may support timely prevention and personalized management strategies starting at an early age.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina61081468","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,15]],"date-time":"2025-08-15T10:33:42Z","timestamp":1755254022000},"page":"1468","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Cardiovascular Risk in People Living with HIV: A Preliminary Case Study from Romania"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"61","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4762-0755","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Manuela","family":"Arbune","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Medical Department, \u201cDunarea de Jos\u201d University, 800008 Galati, Romania"},{"name":"Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases \u201cSf. Cuv. Parascheva\u201d, 800179 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2710-7284","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alina","family":"Plesea-Condratovici","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Department, \u201cDunarea de Jos\u201d University, 800008 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9500-4498","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anca-Adriana","family":"Arbune","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Department, Fundeni Clinical Institute, 022328 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Multidisciplinary Integrated Center of Dermatological Interface Research (MIC-DIR), \u201cDunarea de Jos\u201d University, 800008 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Geanina","family":"Andronache","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Public Health Directorate of Gala\u021bi County, 800055 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3111-4089","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Catalin","family":"Plesea-Condratovici","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Morphological and Functional Sciences Department, \u201cDunarea de Jos\u201d University, 800008 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-5081-3577","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristian","family":"Gutu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Medical Department, \u201cDunarea de Jos\u201d University, 800008 Galati, Romania"},{"name":"\u201dAristide Serfioti\u201d Military Hospital, 800179 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"UNAIDS DATA 2024 (2024, December 25). 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