Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate how antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens and body mass index (BMI) interact to affect triglyceride (TG) levels in people living with HIV (PLWH). METHODS: This research involved 451 men living with HIV for cross-sectional analysis, and 132 underwent follow-up assessments in 2021 and 2023. Multivariate logistic regression identified key factors, while covariance regression models assessed interactions between ART regimens and BMI on TG levels. RESULTS: The result of this cross-sectional study indicated that advanced AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) stage (OR = 2.756, P = 0.003), higher BMI (OR = 1.131, P = 0.003), and waist-hip ratio (WHR, OR = 44.684, P = 0.019) are closely associated with high triglyceride levels. Additionally, regimens containing zidovudine (AZT) (OR = 3.927, P < 0.001) or protease inhibitors/integrase strand transfer inhibitors (PI/INSTI) (OR = 5.167, P < 0.001) were significantly linked to hypertriglyceridemia. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses from 2021 to 2023 emphasized that changes in BMI interact with antiretroviral treatment regimens to affect TG levels in PLWH (P(interaction) < 0.05). Especially in the AZT-based drug regimen, the correlation between BMI and TG is more prominent. CONCLUSION: The interaction between ART regimens and BMI influences TG levels in PLWH, indicating that weight management is crucial for reducing the risk of hypertriglyceridemia in this population.