Biventricular diastolic function assessed by Doppler echocardiogram in children vertically infected with human immunodeficiency virus

OBJECTIVE: to determine, by Doppler-echocardiography, the frequency of cardiac diastolic dysfunction in asymptomatic and clinically stable pediatric patients with vertical infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), from the cardiovascular viewpoint. METHODS: this was an observational, prospective, and cross-sectional study, performed at a regional referral clinic for patients with HIV, in a convenience sample of 94 individuals, assessing biventricular diastolic function by Doppler-echocardiography, and weight, blood hemoglobin, and percentage of lymphocytes T-CD4+. RESULTS: fifty patients had diastolic dysfunction. Left ventricular dysfunction occurred in 38.7%, and the predominant type of dysfunction was decreased myocardial compliance. Right ventricular dysfunction was observed in 29.4% of the sample, and abnormal relaxation was the most prevalent type. Simultaneous biventricular dysfunction occurred in 14.1% of the individuals. There was no association between dysfunction and the immune status. CONCLUSIONS: diastolic dysfunction occurred, individually or simultaneously, with no association with immune status; decreased myocardial compliance was predominant in the left ventricle, and abnormal relaxation in the right ventricle.