Insulin Resistance Linked to Nukes

A study of 1,288 HIV-positive and HIV-negative men from four U.S. cities shows that long-term treatment with Epivir or Zerit is linked to an increased risk of insulin resistance, with longer time on the drugs resulting in a greater risk for the prediabetic condition. The study uncovered no link between insulin resistance and use of either protease inhibitors or nonnucleoside drugs, but did discover that patients who began anti-HIV therapy with low CD4-cell counts were also at a higher risk for the condition. The study concurs with an earlier study of U.S. women that also found no connection between protease inhibitor of nonnuke use and insulin resistance. A study reported in the October 2005 issue of HIV Plus shows that men taking anti-HIV medications have a 4.6-fold greater risk of developing diabetes than their untreated peers. A study reported in the August 2005 issue of HIV Plus suggests that antiretroviral regimens that do not contain a protease inhibitor might put HIV-positive women at more than double the risk of developing insulin resistance.