Muscle mass loss, vl<50 and cd4 ok??
Posted: Jun 30, 2007
QUESTION:
Dear Dr.
Ive been HIV+ for 7 years and under Trizivir treatment since 2003. V.L undetectable and CD4 850-1500. No apparent opportunistic infections. I have noticed that even though my Diet is rich in calories and well balanced, my muscle mass is decreasing, my triglicerids are a bit high and my total body weight keeps in its lower limit for my normal weight (75-80 Kg). What can I do do increase my muscle mass and total body weight, while keeping lipidic values into normal ranges?
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RESPONSE FROM: 
How do you know your muscle mass is decreasing? Thinning of the arms and legs could indicate that the fat overlying the biceps, deltoids, quadraceps and other muscles of the arms and less is what is wasting - leading to the appearance of loss of muscle.
Trizivir contains AZT and this drug can lead to limb fat loss. So this would be teh most likely scenario.
Lean (muscle) tissue loss is uncommon during successful HIV therapy and is, instead, a hallmark of overall wasting syndrome of advancing AIDS. You do not sound like someone with wasting syndrome of AIDS. Reasons for lean tissue loss can be a reduction in exercise or low testosterone levels. A testosterone level can be checked by you doctor. Levels that are in the low normal or below normal range should prompt consideration for testosterone replacement. Note, too much testosterone can lead to fat loss and if that is what you have, testosterone will make it worse.
DW
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