AIDS echocardiography or ultrasound

Associate Editors-in-Chief: Ujjwal Rastogi, MBBS[mailto:urastogi@perfuse.org]

Overview
Patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have an increased risk of developing heart disease. Common heart problems associated with HIV are:


 * 1) Pericarditis (inflamed sac surrounding the heart)
 * 2) Endocarditis (infection of the lining inside the heart),
 * 3) Cancer
 * 4) Pulmonary high blood pressure,
 * 5) Coronary artery disease (CAD).

Echocardiography in AIDS
Indication for performing an echocardiogram in AIDS patients must be done on case by case basis. Example HIV infected drug abuser population are more prone for endocarditis than others.