title: Lipodystrophy - a sign for metabolic syndrome in patients of the HIV-HEART study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  After the introduction of antiretroviral therapy, the life expectancy of HIV patients has increased to more than 30 years after initial diagnosis. Cardiovascular disease now is an important cause of death in HIV-infected patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the multicenter, prospective HIV-HEART study, 222 (38 %) patients suffered from lipodystrophy. Women were more often affected than men (41.5 % vs. 25.3 %). Patients with lipodystrophy were on average 5 years older and had been infected longer (10.4 vs. 6.6 years) then patients without lipodystrophy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lipodystrophy in HIV patients was a clinical sign of cardiovascular risk factors like hyperlipidemia (total cholesterol 19 mg/dl higher, HDL 2.8 mg/dl lower, triglycerides 53 mg/dl higher) and type 2 diabetes (11.3 % vs. 2.8 %). Patients with lipodystrophy were more likely to be co-infected with hepatitis B (34.7 % vs. 28.8 %, p = 0.122) or C (13.1 % vs. 9.3 %, p = 0.16) than patients without lipodystrophy. The quality of life was reduced in patients with lipodystrophy. In 6 of 8 scales of the SF-36 questionnaire, patients with lipodystrophy had lower scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lipodystrophy syndrome is an early warning system for a number of illnesses which reduce life expectancy. Dermatologists must help insure that HIV-infected patients receive treatment for these disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. a.potthoff@klinikum-bochum.de
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Potthoff
authors.forename: Norbert H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Brockmeyer
authors.forename: Götz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gelbrich
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Neuhaus
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Esser
authors.forename: Nico
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Reinsch
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hower
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mostardt
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Till
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Neumann
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D039682:HIV-Associated Lipodystrophy Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors