UCSF

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening disease with higher incidence in HIV-infected compared with noninfected patients. SIV-infected NHP develop clinical manifestations of HIV infection, including PAH. To understand the pathogenesis of PAH and determine the relationship between hemodynamic changes and clinical characteristics associated with SIV infection, we performed right heart catheterization and echocardiographic imaging of 21 rhesus macaques before and after SIV infection. Between 6 and 12 mo after infection, 11 of the 21 animals had elevated mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP; greater than 25 mm Hg). RV involvement was evident as increased RV glucose uptake in PAH⁺ macaques on positron emission tomography-coupled CT compared with uninfected animals. RV and pulmonary vascular collagen deposition were elevated in PAH⁺ animals. At 12 mo after infection, 6 of the 21 macaques (28.6%) exhibited continued increase in mPAP (progressive PAH), whereas 5 animals (23.8%) had reduced pressure (transient PAH). SIV infection of rhesus macaques led to 3 distinct outcomes with regard to hemodynamic function. Hemodynamic alterations correlated with specific inflammatory profiles and increased RV and pulmonary arterial fibrosis but not with viral load, sex, or CD4⁺ T-cell levels. This model of a natural cause of PAH provides insight into disease pathways that are important for the development of novel therapeutic targets.