Beyond traditional criteria: CRP and fibrinogen as biomarkers of metabolic syndrome in ART-treated people living with HIV and their association with HIF-1α rs11549465
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
- 2Clinic for Infectious Diseases, University Clinical Centre Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
- 3Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
- 4Clinic for Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
- 5Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
Abstract
Metabolic syndrome (MS) is highly prevalent among people living with HIV (PLWH) receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) and is driven by persistent low-grade inflammation. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) polymorphisms may influence inflammatory pathways underlying MS. This study investigated the association of the rs11549465 HIF-1α polymorphism with inflammatory markers and MS in PLWH receiving ART. We conducted a multicenter case-control study including 116 PLWH treated at two University Clinical Centers in Serbia. Participants were classified according to NCEP ATP III criteria. Genotyping was performed by Real-Time PCR using TaqMan assays. C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen levels were significantly higher in participants with MS (p < 0.05). ROC analysis demonstrated their potential as biomarkers of MS with cut-off values of 1.85 mg/L for CRP and 2.49 g/L for fibrinogen. Age significantly correlated with CRP and Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio (p < 0.05). Elevated CRP and fibrinogen levels were associated with hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and other MS-abnormalities (p < 0.05). The HIF-1α rs11549465 CT + TT genotype was associated with higher IL-6 levels among participants with MS (p = 0.026). CRP and fibrinogen may complement existing MS criteria in identifying PLWH at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These findings highlight the role of chronic inflammation and genetic variability in metabolic complications of HIV.
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BibTeX
@article{đorđevic2026beyond,
title = {{Beyond traditional criteria: CRP and fibrinogen as biomarkers of metabolic syndrome in ART-treated people living with HIV and their association with HIF-1α rs11549465}},
author = {Nemanja Đorđević and Jovan Ranin and Ivana Gmizić and Biljana Ljujić and Marko Marković and Ivan Rajković and Jovana Ranin and Ivana Raković and Sofija Sekulić Marković and Biljana Popovska Jovičić},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0357899},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357899},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Beyond traditional criteria: CRP and fibrinogen as biomarkers of metabolic syndrome in ART-treated people living with HIV and their association with HIF-1α rs11549465
AU - Nemanja Đorđević
AU - Jovan Ranin
AU - Ivana Gmizić
AU - Biljana Ljujić
AU - Marko Marković
AU - Ivan Rajković
AU - Jovana Ranin
AU - Ivana Raković
AU - Sofija Sekulić Marković
AU - Biljana Popovska Jovičić
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/08
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0357899
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357899
AB - Metabolic syndrome (MS) is highly prevalent among people living with HIV (PLWH) receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) and is driven by persistent low-grade inflammation. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) polymorphisms may influence inflammatory pathways underlying MS. This study investigated the association of the rs11549465 HIF-1α polymorphism with inflammatory markers and MS in PLWH receiving ART. We conducted a multicenter case-control study including 116 PLWH treated at two University Clinical Centers in Serbia. Participants were classified according to NCEP ATP III criteria. Genotyping was performed by Real-Time PCR using TaqMan assays. C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen levels were significantly higher in participants with MS (p < 0.05). ROC analysis demonstrated their potential as biomarkers of MS with cut-off values of 1.85 mg/L for CRP and 2.49 g/L for fibrinogen. Age significantly correlated with CRP and Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio (p < 0.05). Elevated CRP and fibrinogen levels were associated with hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and other MS-abnormalities (p < 0.05). The HIF-1α rs11549465 CT + TT genotype was associated with higher IL-6 levels among participants with MS (p = 0.026). CRP and fibrinogen may complement existing MS criteria in identifying PLWH at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These findings highlight the role of chronic inflammation and genetic variability in metabolic complications of HIV.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -