Hepatic Steatosis Is Common in HIV-Infected Patients

Hepatic steatosis, a potential cause of liver dysfunction, is associated with a range of conditions, including viral hepatitis, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and alcohol abuse. How common is it, though, in HIV-infected patients? To find out, investigators performed magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in 33 HIV-infected patients without known liver disease.

Fourteen patients (42%) were found to have hepatic steatosis (defined as liver-fat content ≥5% by MRS; only about 5% of HIV-negative adults at low risk for steatosis have more than this amount of liver fat by MRS). HIV-infected patients with hepatic steatosis had a significantly higher mean body-mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area, and subcutaneous adipose ti…