Lipodystrophy diagnosis in people living with HIV/AIDS: prediction and validation of sex-specific anthropometric models

Abstract

The association of lipodystrophy with non-communicable disease, especially atherosclerosis, is due to lipodystrophy’s negative effects on lipids and insulin sensitivity, and pro-inflammatory effects on endothelial cells [19, 20]. [...]an earlier diagnosis and treatment for lipodystrophy can prevent or delay the development of some non-communicable diseases, thereby leading to better overall health and well-being of PLWHA, while reducing costs of treatment and premature deaths [21]. [...]we did not find high values for the adjusted R2 for the predictive models in both sexes (data not shown). [...]we conducted the stepwise linear regression including all the anthropometric variables, anthropometric ratios, and additional predictor variables due to their association with lipodystrophy. To date, only France [33], Portugal [34], and Brazil [35, 44] have developed cutoff points for lipodystrophy diagnosis using fat mass ratio by DXA. [...]researchers and other health professionals using our predictive models could adopt the most convenient cutoff point for fat mass ratio by DXA as previously cited, or establish a cutoff point for our models to diagnose and monitor lipodystrophy among people living with HIV/AIDS. [...]the aforementioned risk factors are associated with the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, [25, 26] reinforcing the importance of an early and accurate diagnosis of lipodystrophy to prevent non-communicable diseases.