Betsy Teeple
With the introduction of protease inhibitor (PI) based highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) into clinical practice in 1996, HIV infection has transformed into a manageable chronic disease. However, by 1997 and 1998, adverse metabolic effects were recognized as toxicities associated with long term PI use. These complications include increased triglycerides, increased LDL and VLDL cholesterol, and decreased HDL cholesterol levels, all of which have been associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease risk in the HIV negative population. In my biology project, I will discuss HIV treatments, including PIs, the lipid metabolism pathway, which lipid metabolism mechanisms are disrupted by PIs, dyslipidemia treatments and their pathways in the HIV negative population, and the
drug-drug interaction difficulties behind treating both HIV and PI-associated lipid metabolism disorders at the same time.
