Low Bone Mineral Density, HIV Infection, and Women: Fracture or Fiction?

Abstract

Low bone mineral density (BMD) is a recently recognized metabolic complication of HIV infection and its treatment. Although the clinical impact of low BMD remains uncertain, the prolongation of survival attributable to more-effective antiretroviral therapy has contributed to an aging population of persons with HIV infection who may be prone to developing fragility fractures as a result of osteoporosis. In particular, HIV-positive women entering menopause, a time during which bone loss accelerates, may be especially vulnerable.