2026, Number 2
Cardiovasc Metab Sci 2026; 37 (2)
Acute myocardial infarction in a young adult living with newly diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus
Dueñaz-Díaz, Isaías G; Morelos-Guzmán, Martha; Aréan-Martínez, Carlos A; Dueñaz-Díaz, Jesús E; Chora-Hernández, Luis D
ABSTRACT
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection continues to be a major public health problem. However, people living with HIV are surviving to older ages and are presenting with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease. HIV infection itself is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, most commonly manifesting as acute coronary syndrome, typically at younger ages and often in the absence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. We present the case of a patient with ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome with a history of non-significant tobacco exposure (0.75 pack-years, discontinued six years prior), whose main cardiovascular risk factor was a recent diagnosis of HIV infection. Consequently, this was a treatment-naïve patient with no prior exposure to antiretroviral therapy, consistent with findings from other studies analyzing this population, which describe a low burden of comorbidities, a distinct clinical presentation of the syndrome, and a high thrombus burden at the level of the culprit plaque on coronary angiography.