Background: The nature of body-composition changes in HIV-associated weight loss is unclear.
Objective: We examined the relation between the initial percentage of body fat and the composition of weight loss in men and women with HIV infection.
Design: HIV-positive adults were seen at semiannual clinic visits, at which time weight, fat, and fat-free mass were determined. The unit of analysis was the person-interval.
Results: Five hundred fifty-one persons contributed 2266 intervals of data, of which 311 (14%) were intervals in which weight loss was >/= 5% of initial (start of interval) weight. Of these, 208 (67%) intervals met the criteria for analysis (123 from men and 85 from women). Loss of fat-free mass was dependent on the initial percentage of body fat in the men with < 32% body fat. A plot of the initial percentage of body fat compared with loss of fat-free mass (kg) suggested a nonlinear relation over the range of body fat examined. There was no clear relation between the initial percentage of body fat and loss of fat-free mass in the women.
Conclusions: In men with HIV-associated weight loss, the weight lost as fat-free mass depends on the initial percentage of body fat at low levels of body fat but appears to be independent of initial percentage of body fat at high levels of body fat. In women with HIV-associated weight loss who have normal-to-high body fat stores, loss of fat-free mass is independent of the initial percentage of body fat.