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Objective To describe the prevalence and factors associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among HIV-infected persons not infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Design A cross-sectional study among HIV-infected patients in a large HIV clinic. Methods NAFLD was defined as steatosis among patients without viral hepatitis (B or C) co-infection or excessive alcohol use. The prevalence of NAFLD was identified by ultrasound examination evaluated by two radiologists blinded to the clinic information; liver biopsies were performed on a subset of the study population. Factors associated with NAFLD evaluated by proportional odds logistic regression models. Results Sixty-seven (31%) of 216 patients had NAFLD based on ultrasound evaluation. Among those with NAFLD, steatosis was graded as mild in 60%, moderate in 28%, and severe/ marked in 12%. Factors associated with the degree of steatosis on ultrasound examination in the multivariate model included increased waist circumference (odds ratio [OR] 2.1 per 10 cm, p<0.001), elevated triglycerides (OR= 1.2 per 100 mg/dl, p=0.03), and lower HDL levels (OR 0.7, p=0.03). African Americans were less likely to have NAFLD compared to Caucasians (14% vs. 35%), although this did not reach statistical significance (OR= 0.4, p=0.08). Similar associations were noted for the subset of patients diagnosed by liver biopsy. CD4 cell count, HIV viral load, duration of HIV infection, and antiretroviral medications were not independent risk factors associated with NAFLD after adjustment for dyslipidemia or waist circumference. Conclusion NAFLD was common among this cohort of HIV-infected, HCV-seronegative patients. NAFLD was associated with a greater waist circumference, low HDL and high triglyceride levels. Antiretroviral medications were not associated with NAFLD; prospective studies are needed to confirm this finding.

BACKGROUND Used in combination with antiretroviral therapy, subcutaneous recombinant interleukin-2 raises CD4+ cell counts more than does antiretroviral therapy alone. The clinical implication of these increases is not known. METHODS We conducted two trials: the Subcutaneous Recombinant, Human Interleukin-2 in HIV-Infected Patients with Low CD4+ Counts under Active Antiretroviral Therapy (SILCAAT) study and the Evaluation of Subcutaneous Proleukin in a Randomized International Trial (ESPRIT). In each, patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who had CD4+ cell counts of either 50 to 299 per cubic millimeter (SILCAAT) or 300 or more per cubic millimeter (ESPRIT) were randomly assigned to receive interleukin-2 plus antiretroviral therapy or antiretroviral therapy alone. The interleukin-2 regimen consisted of cycles of 5 consecutive days each, administered at 8-week intervals. The SILCAAT study involved six cycles and a dose of 4.5 million IU of interleukin-2 twice daily; ESPRIT involved three cycles and a dose of 7.5 million IU twice daily. Additional cycles were recommended to maintain the CD4+ cell count above predefined target levels. The primary end point of both studies was opportunistic disease or death from any cause. RESULTS In the SILCAAT study, 1695 patients (849 receiving interleukin-2 plus antiretroviral therapy and 846 receiving antiretroviral therapy alone) who had a median CD4+ cell count of 202 cells per cubic millimeter were enrolled; in ESPRIT, 4111 patients (2071 receiving interleukin-2 plus antiretroviral therapy and 2040 receiving antiretroviral therapy alone) who had a median CD4+ cell count of 457 cells per cubic millimeter were enrolled. Over a median follow-up period of 7 to 8 years, the CD4+ cell count was higher in the interleukin-2 group than in the group receiving antiretroviral therapy alone — by 53 and 159 cells per cubic millimeter, on average, in the SILCAAT study and ESPRIT, respectively. Hazard ratios for opportunistic disease or death from any cause with interleukin-2 plus antiretroviral therapy (vs. antiretroviral therapy alone) were 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70 to 1.18; P = 0.47) in the SILCAAT study and 0.94 (95% CI, 0.75 to 1.16; P = 0.55) in ESPRIT. The hazard ratios for death from any cause and for grade 4 clinical events were 1.06 (P = 0.73) and 1.10 (P = 0.35), respectively, in the SILCAAT study and 0.90 (P = 0.42) and 1.23 (P = 0.003), respectively, in ESPRIT. CONCLUSIONS Despite a substantial and sustained increase in the CD4+ cell count, as compared with antiretroviral therapy alone, interleukin-2 plus antiretroviral therapy yielded no clinical benefit in either study. (ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT00004978 [ESPRIT] and NCT00013611 [SILCAAT study].)

Greater weight variability was associated with a greater risk for cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in some types of high-risk men.

In patients infected with multidrug-resistant HIV, structured interruption of treatment was associated with greater progression of disease and did not confer immunologic or virologic benefits or improve the overall quality of life.