Metabolic abnormalities in HIV-infected patients: An update

In recent years, substantial progress has been made in our understanding of the pathogenesis, risk factors, and treatment of glucose and lipid abnormalities in HIV-infected patients. Newer antiretrovirals, such as abacavir and tenofovir in the nucleoside reverse transcriptase class and atazanavir in the protease inhibitor class, have been shown to improve metabolic profiles compared to other medications. In addition, new information regarding the efficacy of glucose and lipid-lowering medications in HIV-infected patients has become available. It has also been demonstrated that aggressive risk factor modification can reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in this population. This article reviews these recent advances in order to help providers respond to these important clinical challenges.