Insulin Resistance and Diabetes in HIV Infection

Insulin resistance is an important and under??recognized consequence of HIV treatment. Different studies have yielded widely varying estimates of the prevalence of impaired glucose metabolism in people on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The risk increases further with hepatitis C co??infection. Although Protease inhibitors (PIs) are the main drug class implicated in insulin resistance, some studies have shown an association of increased risk of diabetes with cumulative exposure of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). The effect of switching to other antiretrovirals has not been fully determined and the long-term consequences of insulin resistance in this population are not known. Treatment of established diabetes mellitus should generally follow existing guidelines. It is therefore reasonable to recommend general measures to increase insulin sensitivity in all patients infected with HIV, such as regular aerobic exercise and weight reduction for overweight persons. The present review article has the information of some recent patents regarding the insulin resistance in HIV infection.