Due to HIV’s negative effects on the immune system, individuals with HIV are more susceptible to infections, including viral infections that attack the pericardium and result in inflammation, or acute pericarditis. Arrhythmias are not a direct result of the immune deficiencies that occur with HIV infection. Myocardial infarction and valvular insufficiency can be lethal cardiovascular complications in late stages of infection, but they are not the most common cardiovascular complication affecting individuals with HIV.