Lipodystrophy syndrome and cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents infected with HIV/AIDS receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy

Objective: to describe lipid profile,body shape changes,and cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents infected with hiv/aids receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy. methods: we investigated 43 children and adolescents being treated with this therapy at the outpatient clinic of pediatric infectious diseases of instituto fernandes figueira/fundação oswaldo cruz,rio de janeiro,brazil. values of total cholesterol,high-density lipoprotein,low-density lipoprotein,and triglycerides were determined. we also performed glucose tolerance test and analyzed body fat distribution,nutritional status,dietary intake,and family history of cardiovascular risk. the statistical analysis was performed using student's t test. significance level of p-value was lower than 0.05. results: we found lipid abnormality in 88.3% and body shape change in 13.9% of the cases. nutritional status was adequate (81.3%) in most of the study population. cholesterol intake in children older than 9 years was above the recommended value. conclusion: prevalence of dyslipidemia and,therefore,risk for cardiovascular diseases were high during the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy. copyright © 2010 by sociedade brasileira de pediatria.