title: HIV-associated lipodystrophy syndrome: A review of clinical aspects.
abstract: Approximately two years after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy for the treatment of HIV infection, body shape changes and metabolic abnormalities were increasingly observed. Initially, these were ascribed to protease inhibitors, but it is now clear that nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors also contribute to lipodystrophy syndrome. The syndrome groups together clinical conditions describing changes in body fat distribution that include lipoatrophy, lipoaccumulation or both. However, there does not appear to be a direct link between lipoatrophy and lipoaccumulation that would support a single mechanism for the redistribution of body fat. Currently, there is no clear definition of lipodystrophy, which explains the difficulty in determining its prevalence and etiology. There are no current guidelines for the treatment of fat distribution abnormalities that occur in the absence of other metabolic complications. The present article reviews the current state of knowledge of the definition, symptoms, risk factors, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of the morphological changes associated with lipodystrophy syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Members of Le Comité consultatif sur la prise en charge Clinique des personnes vivant avec le VIH/Sida MinistAre de la Santé et des services sociaux du Québec.
authors.forename: Jean-Guy
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Baril
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Junod
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leblanc
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dion
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Therrien
authors.forename: Franãois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Laplante
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Falutz
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Côté
authors.forename: Marie-Nicole
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Hébert
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lalonde
authors.forename: Normand
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lapointe
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lévesque
authors.forename: Lyse
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pinault
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rouleau
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.forename: Benoãt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Trottier
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trottier
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tsoukas
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weiss