Progression to overweight, obesity and associated factors after antiretroviral therapy initiation among Brazilian persons with HIV/AIDS.
OBJECTIVE
To assess body weight changes, progression to overweight/obesity and investigate the associated factors among HIV/AIDS patients.


METHODS
A retrospective study was conducted involving a sample group of 203 adults with HIV/AIDS. Medical records were used to gather demographic, clinical and anthropometric information. The variables were compared by Chi-square tests, Student's t tests and One-way analysis of variance.


RESULTS
The majority of the individuals studied were men (72.4%) with an average age of 34.68 +/- 8.3 years, and time of HIV infection of 4.12 +/- 1.8 years. 63% of the patients gained weight. The greatest weight gain was observed among patients with lower CD4 cell count on admission (8.45 +/- 6.6 vs. 5.97 +/- 4.97) p = 0.019. 39/203 new cases of overweight/obesity were identified, with a progression rate of 19%. Men were more likely to progress to overweight (p < 0.001) and women to obesity (p < 0.001). A direct and significant relationship was observed between the BMI level on admission and being overweight/obese at the end of the study for individuals admitted with normal weight.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the study show that in the course of HIV infection overweight/obesity affected men and women admitted with normal weight, although a greater proportion of women progressed to obesity. A higher weight gain contributed in a negative manner to the presence of dyslipidemias in these patients. These data show the importance of monitoring body weight in the course of HIV/AIDS treatment, even in those individuals who present normal body weight.
Maia Leite
L H
LH
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. luisamaia@uol.com.br
De Mattos Marinho Sampaio
A B
AB
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001938:Brazil; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000139:chemically induced; D050177:Overweight / Q000139:chemically induced*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents