Background: HIV is usually associated with weight loss. World health Organization (WHO) recommends early antiretroviral (ART) initiation, but data on the progression of body mass index (BMI) in participants initiating early ART in Africa are scarce.
Methods: The Temprano randomized trial was conducted in Abidjan to assess the effectiveness of early ART and Isoniazid (INH) prophylaxis for tuberculosis in HIV-infected persons with high CD4 counts below 800 cells/mm(3) without any indication for starting ART. Patients initiating early ART before December 2010 were included in this sub-study. BMI was categorized as: underweight (<18.5 kg/m(2)), normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m(2)) and obese (≥30 kg/m(2)). At baseline and after 24 months of ART, prevalence of being overweight or obese and factors associated with being overweight or obese were estimated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression.
Results: At baseline, 755 participants (78 % women; median CD4 count 442/mm(3), median baseline BMI 22 kg/m(2)) initiated ART. Among them, 19.7 % were overweight, and 7.2 % were obese at baseline. Factors associated with being overweight or obese were: female sex aOR 2.3 (95 % CI 1.4-3.7), age, aOR for 5 years 1.01 (95 % CI 1.0-1.2), high living conditions aOR 2.6 (95 % CI 1.5-4.4), High blood pressure aOR 4.3 (95 % CI 2.0-9.2), WHO stage 2vs1 aOR 0.7 (95 % CI 0.4-1.0) and Hemoglobin ≥95 g/dl aOR 3.0 (95 % CI 1.6-5.8). Among the 597 patients who attended the M24 visit, being overweight or obese increased from 20.4 to 24.8 % (p = 0.01) and 7.2 to 9.2 % (p = 0.03) respectively and factor associated with being overweight or obese was immunological response measured as an increase of CD4 cell count between M0-M24 (for +50 cells/mm(3): aOR 1.01; 95 % CI 1.05-1.13, p = 0.01).
Conclusion: The weight categories overweight and obese are highly prevalent in HIV-infected persons with high CD4 cell counts at baseline, and increased over 24 months on ART in this Sub-Saharan African population.
Keywords: Africa; Early ART; HIV infection; Obesity.