The metabolic syndrome in HIV

The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a term used to describe the clustering of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including elevated triglyceride (TG), low high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), hypertension, hyperglycemia/ insulin resistance and intra-abdominal obesity. This paper discusses why the prevalence of MS in the setting of HIV has been reported to range from 7-45% and how antiretroviral drugs might contribute to the development of MS. The MS has been reported to be a ‘CVD risk enhancer’, and much debate is ongoing on the independent risk of CVD associated with the MS. Based on a limited number of studies on MS in HIV with clinical end-points, there is no data to support that the MS is independently associated with an increased risk of CVD.