title: Impact of switching antiretroviral therapy on lipodystrophy and other metabolic complications: a review.
abstract: Following the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), metabolic and morphological complications known as HIV associated lipodystrophy syndrome (HALS) have been increasingly common. The approaches to target these complications span from resistance exercise, diet and use of the antidiabetics metformin or glitazones to high dose recombinant human growth hormone therapy or switching antiretroviral regimen. When looking at the effect of switching therapy, focus has been addressed to protease inhibitor (PI) based regimens, as PI was the first component of HAART recognized to be correlated with the disfiguring body-alterations known as HALS. More recently, however, regimens containing nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) have attracted attention. Reviewing switch studies regarding metabolic parameters and body shape changes, certain trends emerge. Switching from PI, the metabolic complications such as dyslipidaemia and insulin resistance seem to be partly reversible, whereas the morphologic alterations appear to be unchanged. In studies in which NRTI's are switched, dyslipidaemia appears unaffected, but a modest improvement in peripheral lipoatrophy has been reported. However the results are often inconsistent and difficult to interpret, mostly because of limitations in study design, patient number and duration of follow-up. The need for larger, controlled, randomized, long-term studies is evident.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre University Hospital, Denmark. brhansen@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: Birgitte R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Steen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Haugaard
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iversen
authors.forename: Jens Ole
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Ove
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Andersen
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D039682:HIV-Associated Lipodystrophy Syndrome / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors