How HIV, health behaviors, and social challenges combine to affect heart disease risk

Assessing Syndemics of Cardiovascular Disease in People with and without HIV

NIH-funded research Kaiser Foundation Research Institute · NIH-11180241

Researchers are looking at how having HIV plus health habits and social conditions together influence the chance of developing heart disease in adults with and without HIV.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionKaiser Foundation Research Institute NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Oakland, UNITED STATES)
Project IDNIH-11180241 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would be asked to share health information, medical records, and possibly blood samples so researchers can measure heart health markers and HIV-related factors. They will ask about smoking, alcohol use, weight, mental health, social support, and access to care to see how these issues cluster. The team will compare people living with HIV to people without HIV over time to identify combinations of conditions that raise heart disease risk. Results will be used to suggest who might benefit from more focused prevention or support.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults living with HIV—especially older adults or those with risk factors like smoking, obesity, or mental health challenges—and comparable adults without HIV are the most likely candidates.

Not a fit: Children, people unable to consent, or those unwilling to share medical records or biospecimens are unlikely to enroll or receive direct benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to specific combinations of social and medical factors to target for preventing heart disease in people with HIV.

How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have shown higher heart disease risk in people with HIV and linked many individual risk factors, but applying a syndemics approach to study how social and biological risks cluster is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Oakland, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome VirusAcquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Virus
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.