Tesamorelin Effects on Liver Fat and Histology in HIV: A Collaborative UO1 Grant

Detailed Summary

Liver disease is one of the leading co-morbidities of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is present in approximately 30-40% of patients with HIV infection. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a more severe form of NAFLD in which increased liver fat is also accompanied by inflammation, cellular damage, and fibrosis. NAFLD is most prevalent in patients who also have increased visceral adiposity, and our group has previously shown that HIV-infected individuals with increased visceral adiposity generally have decreased growth hormone secretion. Tesamorelin is a growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) analogue that increases endogenous growth hormone secretion. Tesamorelin is FDA-approved for the reduction of visceral fat in HIV-infected individuals. In a previous study, treatment with tesamorelin in HIV-infected individuals selected for abdominal adiposity reduced liver fat. The current study is designed to test the effect of tesamorelin on liver fat and steatohepatitis in HIV-infected individuals who have NAFLD. The investigators hypothesize that tesamorelin will reduce liver fat and will also ameliorate the inflammation, fibrosis, and hepatocellular damage seen in conjunction with NASH.

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