PLWH Perspective on Heart Disease

I’ve lived with HIV for over thirty years. My husband died over 25 years ago, and it’s been tough since. I had a heart attack a few years ago, was smoking, tobacco, and hard for me to say, also meth. I did not know that all of these increase my risk of heart attack, especially HIV. I urge you to think about the old “cofactors” and don’t smoke, use drugs, booze.

I have lived with HIV for over thirty years. My husband passed away more than 25 years ago, and it has been tough since then. A few years ago, I had a heart attack. At that time, I was smoking tobacco and, frankly, using meth. I didn’t know my HIV status also increased my risk of having a heart attack Recently, I learned about new recommendations regarding statins for people living with HIV. I have been using statins for a few years, but they did not work completely. I didn’t have any side effects, though, at high doses Since the statins were not effective for me, my doctor has now started me on an injectable cholesterol medication. So far, there have been no side effects, and it’s easy to manage—like insulin injections, I take it every two weeks.

I find the monthly science updates to be very helpful. At the Consortium Science update, I learned about the new injectable medications and the significance of heart disease in people living with HIV. I discovered that my risk of having a heart attack is more than double that of someone who does not live with HIV.

I encourage everyone to see their medical provider, exercise regularly, and ask their doctor about their risk for heart disease.