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. 2013 Sep-Oct;12(5):319-24.
doi: 10.1177/2325957413488182. Epub 2013 May 29.

Body mass index, immune status, and virological control in HIV-infected men who have sex with men

Aaron J Blashill  1 , Kenneth H Mayer, Heidi M Crane, Chris Grasso, Steven A Safren
Affiliations

Body mass index, immune status, and virological control in HIV-infected men who have sex with men

Aaron J Blashill et al. J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care. 2013 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Background and aims: Prior cross-sectional studies have found inconsistent relationships between body mass index (BMI) and disease progression in HIV-infected individuals.

Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted on data from a sample of 864 HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) obtained from a large, nationally distributed HIV clinical cohort.

Results: Of the 864 HIV-infected MSM, 394 (46%) were of normal weight, 363 (42%) were overweight, and 107 (12%) were obese at baseline. The baseline CD4 count was 493 (standard error [SE] = 9), with viral load (log10) = 2.4 (SE = .04), and 561 (65%) were virologically suppressed. Over time, controlling for viral load, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) adherence, age, and race/ethnicity, overweight and obese HIV-infected men possessed higher CD4 counts than that of normal weight HIV-infected men. Further, overweight and obese men possessed lower viral loads than that of normal weight HIV-infected men.

Conclusions: For HIV-infected MSM, in this longitudinal cohort study, possessing a heavier than normal BMI is longitudinally associated with improved immunological health.

Keywords: CD4; HIV/AIDS; body mass index; obesity; viral load.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no known conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CD4 Count by BMI Group Over Time Note. Time 1 n = 885, Time 2 n = 225, Time 3 n = 48
Figure 2
Figure 2
Viral Load by BMI Group Over Time Note. Time 1 n = 885, Time 2 n = 225, Time 3 n = 48
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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