Hello. I am concerned about wasting due to HIV drugs. I am not on any medications at this time, but am concerned with wasting of face, arms, and legs. What can be done to prevent wasting. Tahnk you for consideration of my question.

We have been addressing this issue for the last few years. There are no simple answers unfortuantely. The cause of this type of wasting - lipodystrophy or LD - is not clearly tied to the HIV drugs. Though associations clearly exist with some of the drugs, these associations are not necessarily the cause of LD. We do not know what to do to prevent LD or to treat it as we do not understand the causes. I think that the nucleosides are more likely to be associated with LD than the PI's - but the PI's may be more likely to cause fat accumulation. This statement is not accepted by all by the way. And either group of drugs can associated with either LD-fat wasting or fat accumulation. Are you confused? Well so are we. AF