Unsuspected cardiac abnormalities in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. An echocardiographic study

To investigate the frequency of unsuspected cardiac abnormalities in AIDS, M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiograms were performed on 27 homosexual males with this syndrome. Twenty-one homosexual males without the disease were used as controls. Subjects with clinical heart disease or a history of intravenous drug abuse were excluded. Fractional shortening was reduced in eight patients (30 percent) and in one control (5 percent) (p < 0.05). Pericardial effusions were found in seven patients (26 percent); one control subjects had a small effusion (5 percent) (p = 0.05). Overall, echocardiographic abnromalities were found in 13 of 27 patients (48 percent) compared with 2 of 21 control subjects (10 percent) (p < 0.02). We conclude that although often not diagnosed clinically, the incidence of cardiac involvement in AIDS is high.