ABSTRACT
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with numerous infectious and noninfectious complications. During the first years of the HIV epidemic noninfectious conditions remained mostly undetected because they were masked by opportunistic infections and malignancies. With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and the increased survival time of HIV-infected patients, noninfectious complications such as cardiovascular diseases including dilated cardiomyopathy, pericardial effusion, bacterial or nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis, and accelerated atherosclerosis have emerged. In addition, HAART itself is known to induce toxicities resulting in various cardiovascular complications.
