Patients infected by HIV or HIV-HCV coinfected have higher survival due to the use of HAART,
but survival is accompanied by increased morbidity and associated cardiovascular disease
(CVD). Endothelial dysfunction is an early marker of atherogenesis, acting as an intermediate
in the causal pathway of CVD. Folinic acid (FA) has been shown to reduce CVD outcomes,
especially among individuals with hyperhomocisteinemia.
To date, few studies provided consistent information about efficacy of pharmacological
interventions that minimize damage to the vascular endothelium in patients infected by HIV or
HIV-HCV coinfected. The main hypothesis of this study is that FA supplementation protects the
vascular endothelium, and consequently might prevent subclinical atherosclerosis. Thus, the
first step is to determine the efficacy of supplementation with FA, and to compare the effect
between HIV and HIV-HCV coinfected.