Elevated serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol have been reported in the literature from areas where experience with antiretroviral drugs has amassed. Up until recently the use of antiretroviral drugs in Nigeria on a wide scale was a rarity owing largely to prohibitive cost, and so experience with its use was limited. Here we report 3 cases out of 11 followed up on antiretroviral drugs for a period of 6 months (June to November 2002) who had a steady rise in serum triglyceride level, as part of the initial 25 trial patients on free antiretroviral drugs supplied by the Nigerian federal government as a pilot study – an accelerated clinical trial of a combination of stavudine/lamivudine/nevirapine in the treatment of people living with HIV-AIDS in Nigeria – at the University of Benin teaching hospital, one of the designated centers for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. (Published: 12 September 2005) doi:10.1186/1758-2652-7-3-65 Full text: BioMed Central: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1758-2652/content/7/3/65 PubMed Central: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2740787/