Objective. Hypogonadism is common in HIV-infected men. The relationship between health status, sex steroids and body composition is poorly known in HIV. The aim was to investigate the association between health status (comorbidities/frailty), body composition, and gonadal function in young-to-middle-aged HIV-infected men. Design. Prospective, cross-sectional, observational study. Methods. HIV-infected men aged<50 years and ongoing Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy were enrolled. Serum total testosterone (TT), estradiol (E2), estrone (E1) were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, LH and FSH by immunoassay. Free testosterone (cFT) was calculated by Vermeulen equation. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and abdominal CT scan. Multimorbidity (MM) and frailty were defined as ≥3 comorbidities and by a 37-item index, respectively. Results. A total of 316 HIV-infected men aged 45.3±5.3 years were enrolled. Body fat parameters were inversely related to cFT and TT, and directly related to E1 and E2/T ratio. Patients with MM had lower cFT (p<0.0001) and TT (p=0.036), and higher E1 (p<0.0001) and E2/T ratio (p=0.002). Frailty was inversely related to cFT (R2=0.057, p<0.0001) and TT (R2=0.013, p=0.043), and directly related to E1 (R2=0.171, p<0.0001), E2 (R2=0.041, p=0.004) and E2/T ratio (R2=0.104, p<0.0001). Conclusions. Lower TT and cFT, higher E1, E2/T ratio and visceral fat were independently associated to poor health status and frailty, being possible hallmarks of unhealthy conditions in adult HIV-infected men. Overall, MM, frailty and body fat mass are strictly associated to each other and to sex steroids, concurring together to functional male hypogonadism in HIV.

Sexual issues tend to go unaddressed in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) management, although overt sexual dysfunctions are more prevalent in people living with HIV than uninfected people. Erectile dysfunction is the most frequent sexual problem, with a prevalence of 30–50% even in men <40 years of age, but other issues such as loss of libido and ejaculatory disorders should not be overlooked. Peculiar factors related to HIV infection (e.g., fear of virus transmission, changes in body image, HIV-related comorbidities, HIV distress and stigma), alongside classical factors non-related to HIV, should be considered when approaching sexual problems in HIV patients. For this reason, the diagnostic and therapeutic workout of sexual dysfunction in the context of HIV requires a multidisciplinary approach, involving specialists in both infectious diseases and sexual medicine. This narrative review presents an overview of current knowledge on sexual dysfunction in HIV men, deepening the factors driving and taking part in these issues, providing advice for the clinical approach, and underlining the importance of caring for sexual health to improve the quality of life of HIV patients.

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