Starting HIV treatment before CD4s drop below 500 does not improve an early sign of cardiovascular disease (CVD), aidsmap reports. It remains an open question whether treating HIV soon after diagnosis can help mitigate the raised risk of CVD among people living with the virus.

Researchers conducted a small sub-study the global START trial, including 322 participants randomly selected from multiple study sites. They examined vascular function as an indicator of CVD, both at the outset of the study and at visits a respective 4, 8, 12, 24 and 36 months into the trial.

Members of the START trial, who all started with more than 500 CD4s and who at that point had not been treated for the virus, were randomized to either start HIV treatment immediately or to wait to do so until CD4s dropped below 350.

There was no difference in the elasticity of arteries over time between the immediate and delayed treatment groups. This remained true even after the researchers controlled for CVD risk factors and for how long the participants were followed in the study. The passage of time also did not yield significant differences between the two groups.

To read the aidsmap article, click here.

To read the conference abstract, click here.

To view a webcast of the conference presentation, click here.