Brief Report: Circulating Markers of Immunologic Activity Reflect Adiposity in Persons With HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Background Obesity alters adipose tissue immunology, and these changes may be reflected in circulating soluble inflammatory biomarker and T-cell subset profiles measured in HIV research studies. Methods We recruited 70 adults with HIV (50% obese) on efavirenz, tenofovir, and emtricitabine, virologic suppression for >2 years, and no rheumatologic or other known inflammatory conditions. We measured fasting plasma levels of several markers of innate immunity and major CD4 and CD8 T-cell subsets. We assessed relationships between measurements of total adiposity [body mass index (BMI), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-quantified fat mass index (FMI), and plasma leptin] and the immunologic parameters using covariate-adjusted Spearman's rank correlations. Results The cohort was 43% women, 54% nonwhite, and median age was 45 years. Higher BMI, FMI, and plasma leptin were consistently associated with higher C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, and interleukin-6 (P Conclusions Greater adiposity is associated with alterations in a limited set of circulating immune markers, potentially reflecting changes known to occur in adipose tissue with treated HIV infection. Measuring total fat mass radiographically did not yield substantively different results compared with BMI.

Evidence level

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

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