Evaluating the role of immune activation and cardiovascular risk in a cohort of PLWH on ART in southwestern Uganda, lower absolute levels of sCD14 and IL-6, markers of monocyte activation and generalized inflammation, were found to be significantly associated with lower future carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), a marker of preclinical atherosclerosis, after adjusting for traditional CVD risk factors [86]. This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and atherosclerosis.