Current perspectives on the management and prevention of antiretroviral-associated lipoatrophy

Abstract

Lipoatrophy (LA) is a common and now well-recognized complication of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Over the last decade as knowledge of the mechanisms behind LA has developed, several antiretroviral drugs, in particular, have emerged as the likely agents responsible for this complication. This has been supported by studies comparing alternative HAART regimens and by those in which HAART regimens have been modified with a resulting impact on LA. In this article, we review the evidence underlying the current perspectives on the development of LA and the strategies employed to manage or avoid it. © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.