Table 3.
Relationships Between Carotid Intima Media Thickness a Median of 7 Years After Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Initiation and Levels of Soluble Biomarkers of Immune Activation at the Time of ART Initiation, Levels 6 Months After ART Initiation, and Changes in Levels Over the First 6 Months of Therapy
| Marker | Level Before ART Initiation, Per IQR Increasea |
Level 6 Mo After ART Initiation, Per IQR Increasea |
Difference in Levels Between 6 Mo After ART and Before ARTa |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| β coefficient (95% CI) | P Value | β coefficient (95% CI) | P Value | β coefficient (95% CI) | P Value | |
| Soluble CD14 | −0.005 (−.032 to .020) | .68 | 0.026 (.008–.044) | .006 | 0.041 (−.067 to .014) | .003 |
| KT ratio | −0.017 (−.040 to .006) | .15 | 0.013 (−.009 to .035) | .25 | 0.032 (−.055 to −.010) | .005 |
| IL-6 | −0.002 (−.019 to .016) | .85 | 0.020 (.001–.039) | .04 | 0.015 (−.032 to .002) | .08 |
| D-dimer | −0.000 (−.022 to .021) | .98 | 0.016 (−.010 to .041) | .24 | 0.019 (−.042 to .005) | .11 |
| Lipopolysaccharide | 0.006 (−.015 to .028) | .58 | −0.002 (.024–.020) | .87 | −0.012 (−.016 to .040) | .40 |
| Soluble CD163 | 0.016 (−.035 to .003) | .09 | −0.016 (−.040 to .008) | .18 | −0.004 (−.021 to .029) | .78 |
| Percentage of CD38+DR+ T-cell lymphocytes | −0.006 (−.031 to .018) | .61 | −0.014 (−.042 to .015) | .35 | 0.002 (−.028 to .024) | .86 |
All models were adjusted for age, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, and baseline viral load.
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; IL-6, interleukin 6; IQR, interquartile range; KT, kynurenine-tryptophan.
a Inflammatory markers are log-transformed and divided by the IQR of the cohort, such that the β coefficient signifies the estimated change in mean common carotid intima media thickness for each IQR in the marker of inflammation. In the models with a change in inflammatory markers, the variable is calculated as 6 months – baseline, such that a larger number represents less of a decrease over that period.