A Study to Evaluate the Effect of Anti-HIV Therapy on Lean Tissue (Muscle) in HIV-Positive Patients

The purpose of this study is to determine whether HIV-positive patients with extremely low viral loads (level of HIV in the blood) have a greater gain in lean tissue during anti-HIV (antiretroviral) therapy than patients with higher viral loads. Many HIV-positive patients experience changes in body composition (muscle, fat, etc.) while on antiretroviral therapy. However, any weight gained while taking antiretrovirals is mostly fat. A patient's viral load may affect whether weight gained is a result of increased fat or increased muscle. A large-scale study is needed to closely evaluate the effects of antiretroviral therapy on body composition.