Weight and body composition in a cohort of HIV-positive men and women.
OBJECTIVE
At issue is whether weight loss in HIV infection is a cachectic process, characterised by loss of lean body mass with conservation of fat, or a process of starvation. We present data on body composition from 516 persons at different stages of HIV infection as determined by CD4 counts.


METHODS
Cross-sectional analyses of body composition in relation to CD4 count.


METHODS
The baseline data from a prospective cohort study of outcomes in HIV/AIDS in relation to nutritional status in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.


METHODS
: The first 516 subjects with HIV/AIDS to enroll in the study.


RESULTS
Differences in weight in relation to CD4 counts were present only at CD4 counts of 600 or less (slope below : 1.9 kg per 100 CD4 cells, On average, 68% of the difference in weight over CD4 counts was fat (slope: 1.3 kg fat per 100 CD4 cells,


CONCLUSIONS
This cross-sectional analysis suggests that weight loss consists principally of fat loss in those persons with adequate fat stores. This observation will need to be confirmed in longitudinal analyses.
Forrester
J E
JE
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue (Stearns 203A), Boston, MA 02111, USA. janet.forrester@tufts.edu
Spiegelman
D
D
Woods
M
M
Knox
T A
TA
Fauntleroy
J M
JM
Gorbach
S L
SL
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition; D001835:Body Weight; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies