Case 10. A Growing Problem: ART-Associated Weight Gain

A 54-year-old woman with longstanding HIV and obesity is stable on ART, but concerned that it is causing weight gain. How best to address this growing concern? Listen as Chris and Eileen decipher the evidence related to weight gain and ART and weigh the best strategies for addressing this increasingly common and social media inflected concern for patients with HIV and their care providers?

References Cited:

• Abelman RA, Ma Y, Mehta CC, et al. Switch to Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors During the Menopausal Transition Is Associated With Accelerated Body Composition Change in Women With HIV. Clin Infect Dis. 2025 Jun 4;80(5):1125-1132. PMID: 39495675.
• Caniglia EC, Shapiro R, Diseko M, et al. Weight gain during pregnancy among women initiating dolutegravir in Botswana. EClinicalMedicine. 2020 Nov 5;29-30:100615. PMID: 33437946.
• Elion J, Gruber J, Radtchenko M, et al. Predictors of weight gain among people with HIV (PWH) over 3-year period. Abstract Supplement Abstracts from IAS 2025, the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science, 13 - 17 July, Kigali, Rwanda & Virtual. J Int AIDS Soc. 2025 Jul;28 Suppl 4(Suppl 4):e26518. PMID: 40657994. 
• Glidden DV, Mulligan K, McMahan V, et al. Metabolic Effects of Preexposure Prophylaxis With Coformulated Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate and Emtricitabine. Clin Infect Dis. 2018 Jul 18;67(3):411-419. PMID: 29415175.
• Griesel R, Maartens G, Chirehwa M, et al. CYP2B6 Genotype and Weight Gain Differences Between Dolutegravir and Efavirenz. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Dec 6;73(11):e3902-e3909. Erratum in: Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Mar 1;74(4):755. PMID: 32960272.
• Koethe J. ACTG A5391: A Randomized Multicenter 3-arm Controlled Trial for People with Obesity on Integrase Inhibitors and Tenofovir Alafenamide switching to Doravirine, with or without Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (The DO-IT Trial). Abstract. Supplement Abstracts from IAS 2025, the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science, 13 - 17 July, Kigali, Rwanda & Virtual. J Int AIDS Soc. 2025 Jul;28 Suppl 4(Suppl 4):e26518. PMID: 40657994.
• Lake JE, Wu K, Bares SH, et al. Risk Factors for Weight Gain Following Switch to Integrase Inhibitor-Based Antiretroviral Therapy. Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Dec 3;71(9):e471-e477. PMID: 32099991.
• Landovitz RJ, Zangeneh SZ, Chau G, et al. Cabotegravir Is Not Associated With Weight Gain in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-uninfected Individuals in HPTN 077. Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Jan 2;70(2):319-322. PMID: 31125395.
• Norwood J, Turner M, Bofill C, et al. Brief Report: Weight Gain in Persons With HIV Switched From Efavirenz-Based to Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitor-Based Regimens. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2017 Dec 15;76(5):527-531. PMID: 28825943. 
• Ogbuagu O, Ruane PJ, Podzamczer D, et al. Long-term safety and efficacy of emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide vs emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for HIV-1 pre-exposure prophylaxis: week 96 results from a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet HIV. 2021 Jul;8(7):e397-e407. Erratum in: Lancet HIV. 2021 Dec;8(12):e734. PMID: 34197772.
• Sax PE, Erlandson KM, Lake JE, et al. Weight Gain Following Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy: Risk Factors in Randomized Comparative Clinical Trials. Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Sep 12;71(6):1379-1389. PMID: 31606734.
• Venter WDF, Moorhouse M, Sokhela S, et al. Dolutegravir plus Two Different Prodrugs of Tenofovir to Treat HIV. N Engl J Med. 2019 Aug 29;381(9):803-815. Epub 2019 Jul 24. PMID: 31339677. [ADVANCE Trial]
• Short WR, Ramgopal M, Hagins DP, Lee J, Simonson J, Hsu T-H, Xu P, Anderson D. DEFINE Study A prospective, randomized trial to assess a protease inhibitor–based regimen switch strategy to manage integrase inhibitor–related weight gain 12th IAS Conference on HIV Science, 23 - 26 July,  Brisbane, Australia & Virtual Abstract 5962

Related Guideline:

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