Differences in body fat distribution assessed by ultrasonography in patients receiving antiretroviral drugs.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the body fat content of HIV patients according to the duration of antiretroviral therapy use (DURARV), < 1 year and > 1 year.

METHODS

Multiple linear regression was used to investigate the association between ultrasonographic variables of body fat compartments (BFCs) of the face, arm, subcutaneous and visceral abdomen, and the following explanatory variables: gender, age, BMI, and DURARV.

RESULTS

Of all patients (187), 102 of them with DURARV > 1 year were suffering from HIV-related lipodystrophy (HIV-LD), diagnosed through clinical questionnaires. Those with DURARV < 1 year (n = 85, = 46%) did not have HIV-LD. Regarding the visceral compartment, the difference between those with DURARV > 1 year and < 1 year was 11 mm of additional fat content in those with DURARV > 1 year. Women had more fat than men in all peripheral BFCs, while men had 7.2 mm more visceral fat than women, on average.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasonography is a method capable of measuring the thickness of BFCs and is applicable to clinical practice to diagnose HIV-LD.