ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SERUM TOTAL CHOLESTEROL AND HIV-INFECTION IN A HIGH-RISK COHORT OF YOUNG MEN

Low serum total cholesterol CTC) is associated with a variety of nonat herosclerotic diseases, but the association of TC with infectious dise ase has been little studied. In this study, we examined the relationsh ip between serum TC and HIV infection in members of a large health mai ntenance organization in Northern California. The cohort consisted of 2446 unmarried young men 15 to 49 years of age at high risk of HIV inf ection, defined as self-reported history of sexually transmitted disea se or liver disease. Baseline measurements were taken between 1979 and 1985, and subjects were passively followed for HIV infection until th e end of 1993 (average length of follow-up, 7.7 years). From a multiva riate-adjusted Cox regression, the rate ratio (RR) of HIV infection wa s 1.66 (95% CI = 1.07, 2.56) for men with serum TC levels <160 mg/dl c ompared with those with TC levels between 160 and 199 mg/dl. Similar e xcess risk of AIDS and AIDS-related death was observed. These findings suggest that low serum TC levels should be considered a marker of inc reased risk of HN infection in men already at heightened risk of HIV i nfection.