Metabolic complications of HIV infection and its therapy in children

HIV infection has become a chronic disease in pediatric patients, with the potential for longer term survival and exposure to combination antiretroviral therapy for two decades longer than HIV-positive adults. However, body shape and metabolic abnormalities are frequently observed during antiretroviral therapy. These abnormalities have been poorly evaluated in HIV-infected children and their long-term consequences are not yet well assessed. This review summarizes our current understanding of the epidemiology, diagnosis and management of body shape abnormalities, dyslipidemia, disorders of glucose metabolism and vascular dysfunction in HIV-infected children and adolescents.