Metabolic Abnormalities in HIV-Positive Patients Receiving Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

Background and Objective: Dyslipidemia has become a common problem in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease, especially in patients on combination antiretroviral therapy.In this study we aimed to determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia and metabolic abnormalities in 2 groups of HIV infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and antiretroviral-naive patients. Patients and Methods: Forty HIV infected patients treated by HAART as a case group (6 femalesand 34 males) with a mean age of 40.7 ± 10 years and 15 HIV naïve as a control group (2 females and13 males) with a mean age of 38.40 ± 8.3 enrolled in this study. The two groups were well matched in respect to age, sex and CD4 cell counts. A standardized questionnaire with epidemiological, clinical,and therapeutic data was completed by physicians. Blood samples were obtained for metabolicmeasurements. CD4 positive cell count was measured by f lowcytometry. Results: Levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, lactate, and FBS were elevated in24%, 37%, 3.7%, 44.4%, 29.6% and 11% of patients respectively. There was a significant differenceregarding mean total cholesterol and LDL between treated group and controls (p<0.05). There was also no significant difference between treated group and controls regarding triglyceride, HDL,lactate and FBS levels. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that metabolic abnormalities are relatively common inHIV-infected patients receiving HAART. Therefore, it is recommended to screen the HIV infectedpatients on HAART for metabolic disorders, potential of morbidity, and possible long-term cardiovascular risk factors.

Keywords:

Dyslipidemia , Hyperglycemia , HIV , Highly active antiretroviral therapy