Treating Lipodystrophy And Metabolic Abnormalities

To counter these effects, researchers have tried using both human hormones and proteins – such as insulin or growth factors – and medications. In this review, the authors advocate combining therapies in the future to see if this would improve treatment results.

Several treatment efforts have focused on increasing the levels of proteins that help control weight and metabolism. For example, the authors demonstrated in a previous study that administering leptin, a hormone that helps control appetite, to people with HIV who had low leptin levels successfully reduced their total body and stomach fat and decreased insulin resistance.

Other studies have focused on treatment with insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a hormone that is similar to insulin. These studies also successfully showed a reduction in total body fat.

Tesamorelin, a drug that is being investigated as the first treatment for lipodystrophy, works by increasing levels of IGF in the body.

Another option to help with insulin resistance is Avandia (rosiglitazone), a medication commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes.

Studies of Avandia in HIV patients with lipodystrophy have shown that the drug improves insulin sensitivity. However, it also increases triglyceride and “bad” cholesterol levels.

The authors suggested that newer treatments currently under development for diabetes may be more successful in treating insulin resistance in people with HIV without affecting triglyceride or cholesterol levels.

– Source: AIDS Beacon news