Inflammation may drain energy reserves in treatment-naïve adults with HIV

The association between inflammation and fat mass index (FMI) is positive in individuals without HIV and negative in those with HIV, suggesting that inflammation is potentially a driver of depleting energy reserves among treatment-naïve patients with HIV, a study has shown.

Furthermore, “[i]nflammation [is] associated with decreased muscle quantity and functional capacity among individuals with HIV, but not in those without HIV,” the investigators said.

In this cross-sectional study, the associations of inflammation with body composition and grip strength were examined in adult treatment-naïve Ethiopians with and without HIV. The investigators used fat mass and fat-free mass adjusted for height (kg/m²) as indicators of body composition.

Overall, 288 individuals with and 100 without HIV participated in this study between July 2010 and August 2012. Female patients with HIV had lower FMI and fat-free mass index (FFMI) than counterparts without HIV, while there was no difference between male patients with and without HIV. In addition, both male and female patients with HIV had lower grip strength than their counterparts without HIV.

Among individuals with HIV, a negative association was found between serum alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (s-AGP) and FMI (‒0.71 kg/m², 95 percent confidence interval [CI], ‒1.2 to ‒0.3). Moreover, those with HIV and serum C-reactive protein (s-CRP) ≥10 mg/l had 0.78 kg/m² (95 percent CI, −1.4 to −0.2) had lower FMI than those with s-CRP <10 mg/l.

On the other hand, s-AGP showed a positive association with FMI (2.09 kg/m², 95 percent CI, 0.6‒3.6) among individuals without HIV. In those with HIV, s-CRP and AGP were negatively associated with grip strength, but no such association was observed among individuals without HIV.

“Changes in body composition and muscle strength are common among individuals with HIV,” the investigators said.