HIV Digest	HIV Digest Archive

Around 4 percent of HIV-positive patients may unknowingly have the bone disorder osteonecrosis, a potentially painful and debilitating condition. Osteonecrosis is a disorder characterized by the death of bone. As bone dies, it weakens and can collapse, causing pain.

During the study, researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the bones of 339 adults with HIV who had no symptoms of osteonecrosis, as well as of 118 HIV-negative volunteers. Researchers found that 15­ slightly more than 4 percent­ of the asymptomatic patients with HIV had evidence of osteonecrosis in their hipbones.

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Certain factors appeared to be associated with the development of osteonecrosis in HIV patients. For example, the condition seemed to appear more frequently in patients who took steroids, testosterone or blood fat-lowering drugs to treat the side effects of protease inhibitors.

Previous research suggested protease inhibitors might play a role in the development of osteonecrosis. However, the current study detected no link between the two, likely because there was no comparison group­ more than 90 percent of the HIV-positive participants were taking protease inhibitors.

Editor's Note: from Reuters Health