Methods of assessing body shape and composition in HIV-associated lipodystrophy.

Although HIV-associated lipodystrophy can be diagnosed just from clinical examination, criteria for diagnosis and judgement of severity are not clearly defined. Clinical assessment can be systematized with questionnaires for patients and physicians. Computed tomography, nuclear magnetic imaging and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry are objective reference methods but are expensive for routine follow-up and diagnosis. Therefore, anthropometry and other non-invasive bedside methods deserve further validation studies.