People living with HIV have low trabecular bone mineral density, high bone marrow adiposity, and poor trabecular bone microarchitecture at the proximal femur

Impact of different antiretroviral therapy regimens on bone mineral density in people living with HIV: a retrospective and longitudinal study in China

BACKGROUND

HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) are associated with bone loss of people living with HIV (PLWH), but limited studies exist on the impacts of ART regimens on bone mineral density (BMD) in China. This study evaluated BMD changes with three common ART regimens: tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) + lamivudine (3TC) + efavirenz (EFV), tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)-containing, and dolutegravir (DTG)-containing (non-TDF/non-TAF) therapies.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, the prevalence of low BMD was analyzed in PLWH who underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) before ART initiation. BMD changes were assessed in participants who had follow-up DXA scans after ≥ 1 year of ART with TDF + 3TC + EFV, TAF-containing, or DTG-containing regimens. We used multivariate logistic regression to evaluate the impact of different ART regimens on > 3% BMD reduction, adjusting for demographic and clinical variables that were significant in univariate analysis (P < 0.10).

RESULTS

22.99% (630/2740) of PLWH before ART initiation had low BMD. Among 571 individuals followed up for over 1 year, BMD at the femoral neck (FN) and total hip (TH) decreased significantly in the TDF + 3TC + EFV [FN: -0.03(-0.07, 0.00) g/cm2, TH: -0.02(-0.05, 0.00) g/cm2, P < 0.001 for both] and TAF-containing regimens [FN: -0.02(-0.05, 0.01) g/cm2, TH: -0.02(-0.04, 0.01) g/cm2, P < 0.001 for both]. Lumbar spine (LS) BMD decreased significantly only with TDF + 3TC + EFV [-0.02(-0.05, 0.01) g/cm2, P < 0.001]. TDF + 3TC + EFV caused greater BMD loss at the FN and LS than the TAF-containing regimen[FN: -3.66% (-8.05%, 0.34%) vs. -2.38% (-5.44%, 1.12%), P = 0.044; LS: -2.11% (-4.50%, 0.62%) vs.-0.06% (-2.05%, 2.57%), P < 0.001]. Compared to TDF + 3TC + EFV, DTG-containing regimens showed smaller BMD reductions across all sites [FN: -1.49% (-4.65%, 3.83%), TH: 0.00% (-3.98%, 3.18%), LS: 0.59% (-2.73%, 3.09%), P = 0.004, 0.008 and 0.004, respectively]. TAF-containing and DTG-containing regimens showed no significant differences in BMD changes. Multivariable logistic regression showed that TDF + 3TC + EFV, compared to DTG-containing regimens, had higher odds of > 3% FN and LS BMD reduction (FN: OR 2.91, 95% CI: 1.33 to 6.37, P = 0.009; LS: OR 2.93, 95% CI: 1.17 to 7.32, P = 0.022), while TAF-containing regimens were not independently linked to > 3% BMD loss (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

TAF-containing and DTG-containing regimens caused less bone loss than TDF + 3TC + EFV, offering safer options for preserving bone health in Chinese PLWH.

Evaluation of the mandibular condylar bone microarchitecture in people living with HIV

OBJECTIVES

People living with HIV (PLWH) have been shown to have lower bone density at the spine, hip, and radius. However, whether a similar bone phenotype is seen in craniofacial bones is not known. The goal of this study was to evaluate the bone microarchitecture of the mandibular condyle in PLWH.

METHODS

We recruited 212 participants, which included 88 HIV-negative participants and 124 PLWH on combination antiretroviral therapy with virological suppression from a single academic center. Each participant filled out a validated temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain screening questionnaire and had cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) of their mandibular condyles. Qualitative radiographic evidence of temporomandibular joint disorders-osteoarthritis (TMJD-OA) assessment and quantitative microarchitecture analysis of their mandibular condylar bones were conducted.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference in either self-reported TMD or in radiographic evidence of TMJD-OA in PLWH compared with HIV-negative controls. Linear regression analysis revealed that positive HIV status remained significantly associated with increased trabecular thickness, decreased cortical porosity, and increased cortical bone volume fraction after adjusting for race, diabetes, sex, and age.

CONCLUSION

PLWH have increased mandibular condylar trabecular bone thickness and cortical bone volume fraction compared with HIV-negative controls.

Cortical and Trabecular Bone Deficit in Middle-Aged Men Living with HIV

A significant increase in the risk of hip fracture was observed in middle-aged men living with human immunodeficiency virus (MLWH), almost a decade earlier than those without infection. Data regarding cortical and trabecular bone deficit of hip, an important determinant of bone strength, in MLWH are limited. Quantitative CT was performed in consecutive MLWH aged ≥30 years between November 2017 and October 2018 at Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea. Volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) and cortical bone mapping parameters of hip (cortical thickness [CTh], cortical bone vBMD [CBMD], cortical mass surface density [CMSD], endocortical trabecular density [ECTD]) were compared to age-matched and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls (1:2) using a community-based healthy adults cohort. Among 83 MLWH and 166 controls (mean age: 47.2 years; BMI: 23.6 kg/m2 ), MLWH had lower total hip vBMD (280 ± 41 versus 296 ± 41 mg/cm3 ), CMSD (155 versus 160 mg/cm2 ), and ECTD (158 versus 175 mg/cm3 ) than controls that remained robust after adjustment for covariates (adjusted β: total hip vBMD, -18.8; CMSD, -7.3; ECTD, -18.0; p < 0.05 for all). Cortical bone mapping revealed localized deficit of CTh, CBMD, and CMSD in the anterolateral trochanteric region and femoral neck in MLWH compared to controls, with a more extensive ECTD deficit. In MLWH, lower CD4 T-cell count (/100 cells/mm3 decrement) and protease inhibitor (PI)-based regimen (versus non-PI regimen) at the time of antiretroviral treatment initiation were associated with lower total hip vBMD (adjusted β -7.5 for lower CD4 count; -28.3 for PI-based regimen) and CMSD (adjusted β -2.6 for lower CD4 count; -12.7 for PI-based regimen; p < 0.05 for all) after adjustment for covariates including age, BMI, smoking, alcohol use, hepatitis C virus co-infection, tenofovir exposure, and CT scanner types. MLWH had lower hip bone density with cortical and trabecular bone deficit compared to community-dwelling controls. © 2023 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).