Progression to overweight, obesity and associated factors after antiretroviral therapy initiation among Brazilian persons with HIV/AIDS

Abstract

Objectives: 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.