Key reports from the 9th International Workshop on Adverse Drug Reactions and Lipodystrophy in HIV 2007

The 9th International Workshop on Adverse Drug Reactions and Lipodystrophy in HIV provided a forum for the presentation of basic and clinical research focused on the pathogenesis and management of lipodystrophy and other adverse events associated with antiretroviral therapy. New data were reported on the contribution of both antiretroviral therapy and HIV infection itself on the development of metabolic abnormalities in patients with lipodystrophy, including insulin resistance and dyslipidaemia, which are associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In addition, an emerging role of HIV and antiretroviral therapy in bone, liver and kidney disease were highlighted. A major focus of the data presented in these areas concerned the identification and evaluation of risk factors and appropriate surrogate markers for defining cardiovascular disease risk as well as other outcomes of long-term treatment. The complexity of defining such risk factors was underscored by data describing the impact of race, age and gender in the progression of metabolic disease and related complications among different HIV-infected populations. Finally, advances in the development of pharmacovigilance reporting systems in resource-limited settings and their impact upon healthcare policies and the provision of patient care were also described.