Agreement between central fat measurement methods in adults living with HIV without antiretroviral treatment

Abstract

Introduction: The determination of the amount of body fat can be performed by methods with different levels of sensitivity, specificity, clinical practicality and cost. Dual emission X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is considered the gold standard method for quantifying fat, however it has a high financial cost and requires a longer execution time when compared to anthropometry. Objective: To assess the agreement between methods that estimate central fat in adults living with HIV. Methodology: Cross-sectional study carried out, for convenience, with individuals diagnosed with HIV who had not started antiretroviral treatment. Weight, height, waist and abdominal circumferences, suprailiac skinfolds, as well as the amount of central fat were measured, according to DXA information. Results: To estimate central fat using anthropometric information, we developed three mathematical equations based on DXA. The determination coefficients of these models were equal to 0.55. Conclusion: The anthropometric measurements that were used to estimate the amount of central fat are easy to measure and clinically practical. We suggest anthropometric monitoring of central fat as a component of the clinical care protocol, thus contributing to the diagnosis of lipodystrophy and prevention of possible metabolic alterations.