People with HIV, who as much as double the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with the general population, can likely mitigate this risk through traditional preventive measures, Healio reports.

Publishing their findings in Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers created a model to predict CVD disease over time among people with HIV. They based their model on 8,791 people with HIV in the Dutch ATHENA cohort.

A total of 77.9 percent of the cohort was male and 52.5 percent were men who have sex with men. Their median age was 43.8 years.

According to the model, between 2015 and 2030, the annual rate of CVD diagnosis would increase by 55 percent while associated costs would rise by 36 percent. Quitting smoking would prevent an estimated 13.1 percent of cases of CVD during this period. Intensifying the monitoring and treatment of high blood pressure would avert 20 percent of the CVD cases. Diagnosing and treating HIV earlier would avert just 0.8 percent of CVD cases, and avoiding antiretroviral regimens associated with an increased risk of CVD would avert only 3.7 percent such cases.

To read the study abstract, click here.