Expert: Terry B - 10/1/2006

Question
Hello,

my new friend is very worried about her pysical appearance half od her body is noticable very noticable bigger than the other. She patted someone on the shoulder as in a thank you gesture and he just said get your hands of me, i do not want your disease. My question is, is the lopsided ralated to hiv or aids ?  

Answer
Dear Kiki:

Some people who have been on treatment for HIV disease for long periods of time may develop unusual distributions of fat cells which include some asymetry.  Specifically, this is usually associated with protease inhibitors and can manifest as a hump or something similar.  I have not heard of this as a symptom of HIV in persons infected but not receiving treatment - although wasting (significant weight loss, evenly distributed throughout the body) can be a symptom of HIV infection and AIDS-defining illness.

As for "lopsided" this could be a symptom of a number of other ailments - I strongly recommend your friend find a good primary care provider for assessment of this and possible referral to a specialist.

Also be aware that focusing on something that seems different may make it seem more exaggerated than it really is.  Part of the assessment should be comparative measurements to determine the degree of asymetry.  What seems like a huge difference might be quite small.

Peace.

Terry