Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. I have dozens of lipomas of varying size on the limbs and trunk of my body.
They range from the size of a pea to the size of a small tennis ball.
The condition has worsened over the last year. I've been on HART since 1997.
I live in a rural area and my doctor is not an HIV specialist. He says they are side effects of my medications. Do you know any more about them? Is there any type of treatment for them?
Thank you.
Ross Slotten, M.D.
Klein and Slotten Medical Associates
Private Practice in Family Medicine
With a special interest in HIV disease
As you know, lipomas are collections of fat. They are common and occur frequently in people who are HIV negative. However, in those who are HIV positive and on HAART, they can be a form of the lipodystrophy syndrome. Instead of, or in addition to, abnormal collections of fat behind the neck or in the abdomen, a person may develop large numbers of benign fatty tumors all over the body. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do to prevent them from appearing. Those that are large can be surgically excised. Even if you changed or stopped your medications, the lipomas you now have would not disappear. It's a frustrating problem-another unexpected side effect of an otherwise life-saving treatment.
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