Fat Loss Is Most Common Lipodystrophy in Women

Overall body fat loss is a more common form of lipodystrophy among HIV-positive women than peripheral fat loss combined with fat gain in the chest, abdomen, and upper back, according to the December 15 edition of Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. Fat losses from the face, arms, and legs along with the development of fatty deposits elsewhere are common signs of lipodystrophy in men. But researchers who studied HIV-positive women determined that both peripheral and central fat loss was the most common form of lipodystrophy among women'27% of the study subjects reporting peripheral fat loss and 23% reporting central lipoatrophy. Combined peripheral fat loss with central fat gain was rarely reported. The researchers believe their findings show that peripheral lipoatrophy and central fat gain are two distinct phenomena and recommend that both conditions be assessed separately when patients are screened for signs of lipodystrophy.