Prevalence of Calcified Carotid Artery Atheromas in Panoramic Radiographs of HIV-positive Patients Undergoing Antiretroviral Treatment: a Retrospective Study

Objective: This study investigated the prevalence of calcified carotid artery atheromas (CCAAs) in panoramic radiographs of HIV-positive patients.

Study Design: A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the presence of CCAA in 300 panoramic radiographs. Qualitative variables were compared using the χ(2) test or Fisher exact test, as needed. The Mann-Whitney or Student t test was used for the quantitative variables.

Results: In the studied group, 8.2% presented CCAA. Among these patients, most used lopinavir/ritonavir (P = .0459), had a greater mean age (P = .0081), and displayed a lower nadir CD4 (P = .0195). The use of lopinavir/ritonavir increased the chances of CCAA by approximately 2.8-fold compared with those who did not use medication (odds ratio, 2.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-6.95; P = .045).

Conclusions: The variables that were associated with the identification of CCAA are compatible with the known atherogenic risk factors in patients with HIV.