Metabolic clinic for individuals with HIV/AIDS: a commitment and vision to the future of HIV services

Abstract

One of the biggest current challenges in managing an ageing cohort living with the HIV is handling dyslipidaemia, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Combination antiretroviral therapy decrease mortality and morbidity in HIV patients, but lead to increase in insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, abnormalities of fat distribution and high risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, a metabolic clinic was established for individuals living with HIV in the Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The clinic meets considerable demands by service users and hence has the potential to be popular. This review focuses on the importance of the development of a metabolic clinic for the purpose of audit, research, teaching and exchange of knowledge between HIV specialists and the metabolic team in the management of complex cases. Therefore, the metabolic clinic should be an integral part of HIV services especially as the cohort of the ‘older’ HIV population increases.