Information on Lipodystrophy

Lipodystrophy also looks a bit like wasting, which used to be a common problem in people with AIDS. The most grave of the lipodystrophy related side effects seems to be heart problems caused by high fat levels in the blood.

Lipodystrophy, also called fat redistribution, is a disorder in the way your body produces, employs, and stores fat. There are two different kinds of lipodystrophy. In fat wasting, also known as lipoatrophy, fat is lost from particular areas of the body, especially the arms, legs, face, and buttocks. The second kind of lipodystrophy is fat accumulation, also known as hyperadiposity. A lipodystrophy can be a lump or small dent in the skin that forms when a person keeps performing injections in the same spot. These types of lipodystrophies are harmless.

Other side effects of Lipodystrophies are antiretroviral drugs. There are many forms of lipodystrophy that are inherited or acquired. The genetic forms of lipodystrophy include congenital generalized lipodystrophy (the Berardinelli-Seip syndrome) and several types of familial partial lipodystrophy (the Dunnigan type, the Köbberling type, the mandibuloacral dysphasia type). Lipodystrophy also occurs in people who have never taken PIs.

Evidence now suggests that lipodystrophy is linked to the concurrent employ of nucleoside quash transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and PIs. Lipodystrophy can present at any age, from early infancy through adulthood. Onset usually occurs during the first or second decade of life. Females seem to be affected more often than are males. There are currently no clearly useful treatments for lipodystrophy. Surgical treatment with adipofascial flaps has been successful in some cases. Changes to your diet and exercise regimen may assist build muscle and diminish fat accumulation. Changes in your anti-HIV medications.

Changing anti-HIV therapy has also been promoted as a means of managing lipodystrophy and metabolic disorders, particularly switching a protease inhibitor for an NNRTI or abacavir. High blood fats may be treated with medicines such as pravastatin or gemfibrozil, and insulin resistance with anti-diabetes drugs. Cholesterol lowering medications are helpful in lowering blood levels of triglycerides and cholesterol. Other treatment options of lipodystrophy include regular exercise, stopping smoking, switching from the contraceptive pill to another form of birth control, and dietary changes, with advice from a registered dietitian.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR