Vitamin E retards heart disease in AIDS patients

When the disease now known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first isolated in the early 1980s, little was known about its cause or subsequent effects. The AIDS disease and the virus that causes it, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), have since been extensively studied. The major debilitating effects of the virus are due to opportunistic infections. While many organ systems sustain damage caused by opportunistic agents, the heart was one of the last to be studied. In many cases, other disorder will give rise to severe symptoms and cause death before the cardiac region has been investigated. In recent years, it has been determined that the number of AIDS and HIV patients suffering from cardiac disorders is larger that previously thought and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is typically referred to as common. Because there is no cure for HIV infection, treatments are based on the alleviation of symptoms and the prolongation of life. If cardiac problems in HIV patients can be successfully treated, their expectancies may increase.