Abstract
BackgroundCOVID-19 has affected almost every country in the world, especially in terms of health system capacity and economic burden. People from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) often face interaction between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Role of HIV infection and anti-retroviral treatment (ART) in altered cardiovascular risk is questionable and there is still need to further carry out research in this field. However, thus far it is unclear, what impact the COVID-19 co-infection in people living with HIV (PLHIV), with or without therapy will have. The ENDOCOVID project aims to investigate whether and how HIV-infection in COVID-19 patients modulates the time course of the disease, alters cardiovascular risk, and changes vascular endothelial function and coagulation parameters/ thrombosis risk.MethodsA total of 1026 patients will be included into this study. Cardiovascular research PLHIV with (n = 114 in each of the three recruiting centers) - or without - ART (n = 114 in each of the three recruiting centers) with COVID-19 and HIV-negative with COVID-19 (n = 114 in each of the three recruiting centers) will be carried out via clinical and biochemical measurements for cardiovascular risk factors and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Vascular and endothelial function will be measured by brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) assessments, and retinal blood vessel analyses, along with vascular endothelial biomarkers and cogualation markers. The correlation between HIV-infection in COVID-19 PLHIV with or without ART and its role in enhancement of cardiovascular risk and endothelial dysfunction will be assessed at admission, weekly, at discharge and, 4 weeks post-discharge (if possible).Impact of projectThe ENDOCOVID project aims to evaluate in the long-term the cardiovascular risk and vascular endothelial function in PLHIV thus revealing an important transitional cardiovascular phenotype in COVID-19. The study was registered under clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04709302).
Highlights
COVID-19 has affected almost every country in the world, especially in terms of health system capacity and economic burden
The aim of this study is to evaluate cardiovascular risk in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and COVID-19 populations, which would allow assessment of current
The results will be innovative, as currently little is known about the effect of COVID-19 on people living with HIV (PLHIV) (+/−anti-retroviral treatment (ART)), especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
Summary
COVID-19 has affected almost every country in the world, especially in terms of health system capacity and economic burden. Role of HIV infection and anti-retroviral treatment (ART) in altered cardiovascular risk is questionable and there is still need to further carry out research in this field. Far it is unclear, what impact the COVID-19 co-infection in people living with HIV (PLHIV), with or without therapy will have. The ENDOCOVID project aims to investigate whether and how HIV-infection in COVID-19 patients modulates the time course of the disease, alters cardiovascular risk, and changes vascular endothelial function and coagulation parameters/ thrombosis risk. COVID-19 has affected almost every country worldwide with regard to health system capacities and economic burden, so far. A recent meta-analysis showed that evidence for - and against - a role for ART in the development of CVDs remains unconvicing and that more research is necessary [20]
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