Question
Does HIV cause weight loss?
5 January 2016. Related: All topics, Newly diagnosed, Opportunistic infections, Side effects, Starting treatment.
Can facial wasting and losing weight happen prior to starting treatment?
Can they simply be features of HIV (or stress) without being due to opportunistic infections?
Answer
Thank you for your questions.
General weight loss and facial wasting (fat loss) are very different things.
Before effective HIV treatment (ART), wasting and loss of appetite were very common among people living with HIV.
Some of the reasons that caused wasting were nausea, diarrhoea, poor absorption of food, fevers and loss of appetite. These symptoms are largely related to having a low CD4 count and not being on ART.
Information about body changes as a side effect are at these links for body fat changes (lipodystrophy) and fat loss (lipoatrophy).
Losing fat from the face is sometimes a feature of aging – ie it happens naturally as you get older. HIV doesn’t cause fat loss prior to treatment though, and is unlikley to cause it after treatment so long as you don’t use either d4T or AZT.
This answer was updated in January 2016 from a question first posted on 21 May 2008.
I have started taking Trivenz from September last year. Instead of gaining weight I do. My CD4 above 800 and viral load undectable. This is starting to worry me a lot. I was diagnosed in 2005 but started in 2018. I don’t have problems except this weight issue that I’m loosing a lot
Hi Lisa,
I’m sorry to hear you’re not well. But it’s great that you’re taking your meds in the right way.
What does your doctor say about this?
Please can you tell us what meds your are taking. And do you have access to your CD4 count and viral load results?
It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about your viral load and make sure the meds are working well. You can tell them about the vitamins you’re on too. That’s to check it’s okay to take the vitamins at the same time as your HIV meds.
Please let us know more about your meds and results.
Hi I’m quite worried about my weight loss and low blood…I’m experiencing intense vertigo and lossing weight extensively…I’m religiously taking my meds with vitamins but still I’m not getting better… can someone please help me out with what i could be doing wrong?
Hi Andy,
If you have a rash, this is something that you need to talk to a doctor about. It could be related to the ARVs, or something else. Shaking isn’t a none side effect to ARVs. So, like the rash, this will need to be discussed with a doctor.
Weight loss isn’t really something that’s associated with modern day ARVs. Also weight loss can be due to a lot of issues, one of which is stress.
Hi am Andy, i started my treatment this January instead of me gaining weight am reducing but my face is ok, my eye’s are ok is just my body. Also have being having some funny rashes on my body and my body is shaking . Pls is this normal for a first timer.
Hi Thembi,
Weight gain can be due to a lot of reasons. Diet and exercise are important for weight control.
Hi my name is Thembi I’ve been living with HIV since 2005, I’ve gained to much weight. Is there anything i use to loose a little?
Hi Martha,
I-Base give HIV treatment information to people who are HIV positive. This includes talking about facial fat loss which could be caused by earlier HIV meds. Please let us know more about your treatment and facial fat loss.
how can you gain facial fat?
Hi Nuel.
Weight loss can be due to a number of things, if this is a problem please see a doctor.
TB drugs are often given to people who are positive if they live in a TB prone area. Is this the case with you?