Cardiac care must become integral to long-term HIV treatment, say experts

Cardiovascular health must receive greater attention in the long-term care of people living with HIV as they live longer with advances in antiretroviral therapy, speakers at a national symposium on HIV and heart disease said here on Saturday.

The ‘HIV and Heart Symposium 2026’, organised by the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research in association with the AIDS Society of India, brought together cardiologists, HIV specialists, and other experts to discuss the emerging links between HIV and cardiovascular disease.

H.S. Nataraj Setty, associate professor of cardiology at Jayadeva and course director of the symposium, said the success of antiretroviral therapy had significantly changed the course of HIV care.

“People living with HIV are now able to lead longer and healthier lives. As their life expectancy improves, we also need to focus on cardiovascular health and other long-term complications,” he said.

Jayadeva director B. Dinesh said cardiovascular disease could become an important health concern among people living with HIV and stressed the need for early recognition, appropriate investigation, and timely treatment.

Comprehensive care

The symposium also examined how India’s HIV response has evolved over four decades, from early efforts to control the epidemic to the widespread availability of affordable antiretroviral treatment.

Ishwar Gilada, secretary-general of the People’s Health Organisation and president emeritus of the AIDS Society of India, in his presentation “From Local to Global: India’s Four-Decade Journey in the Fight Against AIDS”, traced the country’s HIV response from the first public warnings and early clinical interventions in the 1980s to community-based prevention and expanded access to antiretroviral therapy.

He said the availability of affordable generic medicines had helped bridge the gap between the availability of HIV treatment and access to it in resource-limited countries, including those in Africa.

Need for specialised cardiac care

Chairman of Narayana Health Devi Prasad Shetty said there were relatively few hospitals willing to provide cardiac treatment to people living with HIV because of concerns over infection while handling blood.

“Some hospitals are hesitant because of the perceived risk while handling the blood of these patients. Jayadeva has set an example by treating more than 1,200 such patients,” he said.

Dr. Shetty’s remarks came against the backdrop of Jayadeva’s experience in treating HIV-associated cardiac disease. Dr. Nataraj Setty said he had treated 1,209 such patients at the institute since 2013.