Klos B, et al. - Given the inverse correlation of adiponectin levels to cardiovascular risk and that diabetics and obese persons have low adiponectin levels, researchers investigated how adiponectin concentration is related to HIV-associated lipodystrophy. In four US cities, they conducted the Study to Understand the Natural History of HIV/AIDS in the Era of Effective Therapy (SUN), a prospective cohort study of HIV-infected adults. Median concentrations of leptin and adiponectin were 3.04 ng/L and 8,005 μg/mL, respectively, among 440 male participants (88% prescribed combination antiretroviral therapy; median CD4 lymphocyte count 468 cells/μL; 76% with viral load < 400 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL; median body mass index 25 kg/m²). Lipodystrophy was prevalent in 14%, indicating prevalence comparable to prior estimates for persons living with HIV. A significant association of lipodystrophy with lower adiponectin levels was observed, indicating that cardiovascular disease risk could be higher among men in this HIV-infected cohort.