Lipoatrophy widespread in women with HIV

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although peripheral fat loss and central fat gain have been reported in women with HIV, peripheral lipoatrophy appears to be more common, according to researchers.

"Contrary to prior reports," researches Dr. Phyllis C. Tien told Reuters Health, "where lipohypertrophy was thought to predominate in women, we found that lipoatrophy — or fat loss — especially in peripheral body sites, appears to predominate."

Dr. Tien of the University of California, San Francisco and colleagues studied 183 HIV-positive and 142 control women aged between 33 and 45 years.

The HIV group reported more fat loss than controls and peripheral lipoatrophy was more common in this group than in controls (28% versus 4%). The extent of central lipohypertrophy was similar in both groups (62% versus 63%), the researchers report in the August 15th issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

In the HIV group, women with central lipohypertrophy were significantly less likely to have peripheral lipoatrophy than those without central lipohypertrophy (odds ratio, 0.39).

Thus, the researchers conclude that peripheral lipoatrophy is common in HIV-infected women, "but is not associated with reciprocally increased visceral adipose tissue or trunk fat."

J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2006;42:562-571.