Hypermetabolic subcutaneous fat in patients on highly active anti-retroviral therapy treatment: Subtle finding with implications

Abstract

Lipodystrophy (LD) is a serious complication of highly active anti-retroviral therapy, characterized by peripheral fat wasting, central adiposity and metabolic changes. Since the disfiguration caused by LD is permanent, the focus of management is on early detection to arrest progression. We report a case where ancillary finding of increased fluorine-18 fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) uptake in the sub-cutaneous fat helped early detection of LD and led to early intervention to arrest progression. Though F-18 FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan is not recommended to diagnose LD, conscious reporting of this finding when present can greatly influence patient management.