Body mass index changes during highly active antiretroviral therapy in Nigeria

Wasting remains an important condition in HIV-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). In this study, 120 patients with newly diagnosed HIV infection were prospectively evaluated to determine the effect of HAART on body mass index (BMI). Eighty-nine (83.1%) patients gained weight, 5 (4.7%) had no weight change, and 13 (12.2%) lost weight. There was a significant increase in overweight and obese patients. On multivariate analysis, time-updated CD4 count and higher baseline BMI were associated with a greater increase in BMI. Anaemia at diagnosis was associated with a significant increase in BMI. There were no significant effects of age, sex, disease severity, viral load or educational status on BMI changes. About 27% of the HIV patients presented with weight loss, which emphasizes that weight loss and wasting remain important AIDS-defining conditions, despite the advent of HAART. A linear association was observed between time-updated CD4 count and increase in BMI. The association between time-updated CD4 count and greater increase in BMI suggests that BMI could be a surrogate for CD4 count in monitoring treatment response in resource-limited settings.