title: Intrathoracic fat in HIV-infected patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The impact of HIV infection or antiretroviral therapy on the intrathoracic fat compartment is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive clinically stable HIV-infected adult patients, irrespective of exposure to antiretroviral therapy, and non-HIV-infected healthy volunteers, both without clinical evidence of body fat changes consistent with lipodystrophy and adjusted for age, gender and body mass index, were recruited for this study. Thoracic and abdominal fat was assessed by computed tomography and compared between patients and controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were nine women (33%) and 18 men (67%) in each group. Nineteen patients (70%) had been taking antiretrovirals for a median of 8 months (interquartile range: 6-11). Among the HIV-infected patients, intrathoracic fat (median; interquartile range) did not differ significantly between treated (6.7 cm(2); 4.5-8.3 cm(2)) and untreated (6.9 cm(2); 5.7-10.9 cm(2)) individuals (P=0.288). However, intrathoracic fat content (median; interquartile range) was higher in HIV-infected patients (6.8 cm(2); 5.6-10.5 cm(2)) than in controls (5.6 cm(2); 3.9-6.7 cm(2)) (P=0.025). Intrathoracic fat was positively correlated with intra-abdominal fat both in patients (rho=0.6, P=0.002) and in controls (rho=0.7, P=0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In HIV-infected adults without clinical evidence of lipodystrophy, intrathoracic fat content was higher than in healthy persons and positively correlated with intra-abdominal fat content.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Hospital Clinic-Institut d'Investigaciones Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. jlblanco@clinic.ub.es
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biglia
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Lazzari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leon
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milinkovic
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larrousse
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lonca
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laguno
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mallolas
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gatell
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013909:Thorax; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents