Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Sexual Health Sexual Health Society
Publishing on sexual health from the widest perspective
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Transient cardiac arrhythmias related to lopinavir/ritonavir in two patients with HIV infection

Santosh K. Chaubey A F , Ashim K. Sinha A , Elizabeth Phillips B , Darren B. Russell C D and Henrik Falhammar A E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Medicine, Cairns Base Hospital, PO Box 902, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.

B Department of Clinical, Immunology and Immunogenetics, Centre for Clinical Pharmacology and Infectious Diseases, Royal Perth Hospital, 2nd Floor North Block, Wellington Street, Perth, WA 6000, Australia.

C Cairns Sexual Health Service, Cairns Base Hospital, PO Box 902, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.

D Melbourne School of Population Health, Level 5, 207 Bouverie Street, The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.

E Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, D2:04, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, 171 76, Sweden.

F Corresponding author. Email: drchaubeysk@rediffmail.com

Sexual Health 6(3) 254-257 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH09005
Submitted: 9 January 2009  Accepted: 29 May 2009   Published: 3 August 2009

Abstract

A 42-year-old Thai man was administered the combination drugs liponavir/ritonavir and abacavir/lamivudine. On day 3 he was admitted and his electrocardiogram demonstrated sinus arrest with junctional escape rhythm with a rate of 42 min−1. Three days after stopping the medication he reverted to normal sinus rhythm. A 55-year-old Caucasian man was admitted to hospital with triple vessel disease. He had a permanent pace maker inserted 4 years previously for Mobitz type II AV block detected on stress electrocardiogram, which developed 1 month after initiation of lopinavir/ritonavir. These two cases highlight the importance of considering lopinavir/ritonavir induced arrhythmias when dealing with HIV-positive individuals.

Additional keyword: antiretroviral therapy.


References


[1] Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents. Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-1-infected adults and adolescents. Department of Health and Human Services. November 3, 2008; 1–139. Available online at: http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/ContentFiles/AdultandAdolescentGL.pdf. [verifiedDecember 2008].

[2] Kikuchi Y,  Genka I,  Ishizaki A,  Sunagawa K,  Yasuoka A,  Oka S. Serious bradyarrhythmia that was possibly induced by lopinavir-ritonavir in 2 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Clin Infect Dis 2002; 35 488–90.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |

[3] Yotsumoto M,  Kitano K,  Saito H. Bradycardia-tachycardia syndrome induced by lopinavir-ritonavir in a patient with AIDS. AIDS 2005; 19 1547–8.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |

[4] Jimenez FJ,  Pinilla J,  Repiso M,  Labarga P. Complete autriculoventricular block in a patient treatment with lopinavir/ritonavir. Enferm Infect Microbiol Clin 2002; 20 418.


[5] Busti AJ,  Tsikouris JP,  Peeters MJ,  Das SR,  Canham RM,  Abdullah SM, et al. A prospective evaluation of the effect of atazanavir on the QTc interval and QTc dispersion in HIV-positive patients. HIV Med 2006; 7 317–22.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[6] Grody WW,  Cheng L,  Lewis W. Infection of the heart by the human immunodeficiency virus. Am J Cardiol 1990; 66 203–6.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[7] Anson BD,  Weaver JG,  Ackerman MJ,  Akinsete O,  Henry K,  January CT, et al. Blockade of HERG channels by HIV protease inhibitors. Lancet 2005; 365 682–6.
CAS | PubMed |

[8] Schulze-Bahr E,  Neu A,  Friederich P,  Kaupp UB,  Breithardt G,  Pongs O, et al. Pacemaker channel dysfunction in a patient with sinus node disease. J Clin Invest 2003; 111 1537–45.
CAS | PubMed |

[9] Benson DW,  Wang DW,  Dyment M,  Knilans TK,  Fish FA,  Strieper MJ, et al. Congenital sick sinus syndrome caused by recessive mutations in the cardiac sodium channel gene (SCN5A). J Clin Invest 2003; 112 1019–28.
CAS | PubMed |

[10] Bezzina CR,  Shimizu W,  Yang P,  Koopmann TT,  Tanck MW,  Miyamoto Y, et al. Common sodium channel promoter haplotype in Asian subjects underlies variability in cardiac conduction. Circulation 2006; 113 338–44.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[11] Shimizu W. Clinical impact of genetic studies in lethal inherited cardiac arrhythmias. Circ J 2008; 72 1926–36.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |