Quantitative measurement of body composition in individuals with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Body composition parameters were measured in 48 males with AIDS who were classified as being HIV positive-asymptomatic (HIV+), HIV positive - Kaposis sarcoma (KS), and HIV positive -opportunistic infections (OI). The major conclusions derived from this study were based on the evaluation of body weight (BW) , body fat (BF) and body cell mass (BCM) alterations that were directly measured. Values for extracellular supporting tissue were inferred. The values for BCM were obtained from K-40 measurements and anthropometric measurements were used to obtain BF estimates. K-40 analysis and anthropometric measurements were performed in accordance with established methods. As expected, a difference in body composition parameters was detected among groups. The KS and OI groups had similar BCM levels. There was a small but significant decrease in BCM values when the KS and OI groups were compared to the HIV+ group. The OI group had lower BW and BF values compared to the other groups. However, the values for BF, BW and BCM from this sample were higher than anticipated. The results support the contention that body composition parameters change as the disease progresses, but that clinically stable individuals with HIV infection may be able to preserve or replete normal body stores.