ABSTRACT
Globally, over 34 million people were living with human immunodeciency virus (HIV) at the end of 2011. Worldwide, 2.5 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2011.1 In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that over 1.1 million people are currently living with HIV, with approximately 18% of those individuals being unaware of their infection and another 50,000 becoming newly infected each year.2 Approximately two-thirds of Americans with HIV identify as a racial or ethnic minority, and in 2007, HIV ranked as the fth leading cause of death among persons aged 35-44.3 Today, the life expectancy for HIVinfected Americans has increased dramatically in comparison to earlier years of the epidemic. Advances in antiretroviral (ARV) therapy have signicantly contributed to extending the lives of those living with HIV in the United States. Predictions of life expectancy for a young HIV-positive person living in the United States beginning ARV therapy following today’s combination treatment regimen can anticipate living on average to the age of 69.4 As such, HIV infection is now treated as a chronic illness, and individuals with HIV are increasingly at risk for diseases associated with aging, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.5,6
Despite the benecial advances in medical treatment, the impact of HIV and the side effects of ARV therapy are signicant. These may include muscle wasting,7 peripheral insulin resistance,8 hypertriglyceridemia,9 hypercholesterolemia,10 central adiposity,11 peripheral lipoatrophy,12 and osteopenia.13 Pharmacologic agents can be used to treat the majority of these conditions, but the nancial costs, potential
Introduction ............................................................................................................209 HIV-Associated Complications ..............................................................................209 Exercise and HIV ................................................................................................... 210 Resistance Training Studies ................................................................................... 210 Conclusion and Future Directions ......................................................................... 215 References .............................................................................................................. 215
toxicity, and high pill burden ultimately create a barrier to use and adherence.14 As such, nondrug therapies and treatments are promoted as an alternative to medication, and exercise, in particular, is regularly recommended given its potential to reduce the impact of the various metabolic and morphologic abnormalities experienced by HIV-infected individuals.15
