SynthesisBMC cardiovascular disorders2025
Characterization and stratification of risk factors of stroke in people living with HIV: A theory-informed systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC cardiovascular disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Characterization and risk stratification of coronary artery disease in people living with HIV: a global systematic review.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Stroke in people living with HIV and 6-month outcomes in Northwestern Tanzania.Equity neuroscience · 2026Article
- Risk stratification of hypertension in South Africa: a systematic review with meta-analysis.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
- The association of antiretroviral therapy type and duration of use with stroke in people living with HIV in Zambia.AIDS research and therapy · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIdentification and stratification of risk factors for stroke among individuals living with HIV (PLWH) will facilitate primary prevention and prognostication, as well as strategies aimed at optimizing neurorehabilitation. This review sought to characterize and stratify the risk factors associated with stroke in PLWH.
methodsThe review was structured in accordance with the preferred items for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) checklist. The epidemiological triangle, Bradford criteria, and Rothman causality model further informed the review. The review outcomes encompassed cardiovascular factors, HIV-related factors, and personal and extrinsic factors associated with stroke in PLWH. We conducted searches in PubMed, Scopus, Medline, Web of Science, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and African Journal (SABINET). Data screening and extraction were independently performed utilizing predefined eligibility criteria and a data-extraction template. Narrative synthesis and risk stratification were employed to analyze the results.
resultsThirty studies (22 cohorts and eight case-control) with a sample size of 353,995 participants were included in this review. The mean age of the participants was 45.1 ± 10.7 years. The majority of the participants (72.4%) were male. Risk factors for stroke in PLWH include cardiovascular factors (advanced age, tobacco use, hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, etc.), HIV-related factors (high viral load and low nadir CD4 count), personal factors (advanced age and female sex), and comorbidities (hepatitis C virus infection, chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, and liver fibrosis or cirrhosis). Diabetes, atrial fibrillation, smoking habits, hypertension, age, and viral load demonstrated a high likelihood of association with stroke in PLWH and should be prioritized when constructing clinical prediction algorithms for HIV-related stroke.
conclusionsThe most important factors were hypertension and chronic kidney disease, followed by smoking, dyslipidemia, diabetes, HCV, HBV, CD4 count, use of ART, TB, and substance use (cocaine). The least important factors were age, sex, ethnicity, obesity, alcohol use, ART duration, and viral load. The predictive significance of these factors is still evolving, given the average moderate certainty of evidence. Predictive and preventative models should target factors with a high causality index and low investigative costs.
trial registrationThe review is part of a larger review registered with the PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024524494).
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.