| Summary: | Abstract Background Body mass index (BMI) may contribute somewhat to drug metabolism, and thus affecting the efficacy of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This study aimed to determine the frequencies of underweight, normal and overweight/obesity at pre-HAART in a large cohort of HIV-infected Chinese patients, and investigate the prospective effects of BMI on immune reconstitution after HAART initiation. Methods A longitudinal cohort study was performed to analyze the effects of BMI on immune reconstitution in HIV-infected patients treated with HAART. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the relationship between baseline BMI and increased CD4+ T lymphocyte levels at 12 and 30 months after initiating HAART. In addition, Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess the relationship between BMI and time to achieve immunologic reconstitution (CD4+ T lymphocytes>500cells/μL) during the follow-up period. Results Among the 1612 enrolled patients, 283 (17.6%) were overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2), 173 (10.7%) were underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2) and the remaining were normal weight. Prior to HAART initiating, overweight HIV-infected patients were mostly males, older ages, exhibited higher CD4+ T lymphocytes and lower viral loads (p < 0.01 for all). Patients with higher baseline BMI had an independently positive effect on 30-month CD4+ T lymphocyte recovery (p = 0.028), but not 12-month CD4+ T lymphocyte gain (p = 0.104). In addition, a Cox proportional hazard model with baseline BMI as an independent variable indicated that BMI was correlated with an increased likelihood of achieving immunologic reconstitution over time (hazard ratios [HR] 1.03; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.01–1.06; p = 0.011), after adjusting for baseline age, gender, CD4+ T lymphocytes, CD4/CD8 ratio, viral load and WHO stage. Conclusions Higher baseline BMI could predict better immune reconstitution in HIV-infected patients after HAART initiating.
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