Lessons from HIV lipodystrophy and drug-induced metabolic dysfunction

Abstract

With the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), metabolic and body composition changes are increasingly observed among HIV-infected patients. These changes are characterized by lipoatrophy of subcutaneous abdominal, extremity and facial fat, increased visceral fat, as well as dyslipidemia and insulin resistance, and have been viewed by many to constitute an acquired lipodystrophy syndrome. The etiology of this syndrome is clearly multifactorial and it is not a homogenous syndrome, but rather exhibits significant heterogeneity depending on environmental, genetic, and treatment factors. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.