Obesity and Weight Management in HIV: Epidemiology, Complications, and Emerging Treatments

The prevalence of overweight/obesity in PLWH mirrors long-standing trends in the general population. Obesity and weight gain have a complex, multifactorial pathogenesis and directly mediate detrimental metabolic changes that are common in PLWH. While lifestyle changes are important, surgical weight loss and recent advances in medical therapeutics are more effective at reducing obesity and obesity-related complications. Obesity in PLWH substantially increases the risk for cardiometabolic complications and poor health outcomes. Surgical and medical weight loss interventions are effective treatments to reduce obesity and obesity-related complications, though further research in PLWH is needed to define optimal management.