HIV Treatment and Obesity: What’s New?

Abstract

Obesity among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH)) is an emerging public health issue. In recent years, new drugs have been approved for the treatment of HIV infection, which have greatly extended the lives of patients, but they may also play a role in rising obesity rates. In addition to HIV-specific factors, traditional risk factors shared with the general population (aging, diet, inactivity, and genetics) are credible culprits for this pandemic. Importantly, the compounded presence of obesity and HIV infection seems to magnify the risk of metabolic disease. To date, several questions remain to be fully elucidated including the mechanisms by which antiretroviral drugs may lead to excessive weight gain, the influence of the interplay with environmental and genetic factors, and the long-term clinical effect of obesity in PLWH. Recently, new drugs for the treatment of obesity and new metabolic surgeries have emerged, shading new hope on obesity management. The aim of this chapter is to take a journey into the world of obesity, showing the most recent evidence in HIV patients.