What is lipodystrophy?

Who is the consultation for?

Persons infected with HIV undergoing antiretroviral treatment frequently develop medical complications, for example kidney, bone, heart or even liver disease. Some patients also develop an unbalanced level of body fat, which leads to a change in their physical appearance. The Lipo and metabolism group provides multidisciplinary treatment by combining all the required medical appointments into one full assessment on a single day. All persons living with HIV undergoing antiretroviral treatment could therefore take advantage of this overall strategy.

Are you concerned about lipodystrophy?

Lipodystrophy is one of the apparent complications associated with cocktail therapy. It can manifest as a loss of fat in legs, arms, face or buttocks or even by an accumulation of fat in the belly, on breasts/chest or at the nape of the neck (buffalo hump). Lipodystrophy could alter the physical appearance and the quality of life. This irregular distribution of fat is sometimes accompanied by changes in blood results (fat and sugar metabolism disorders). It’s important to screen for these disorders before they get worse by doing a full clinical assessment.