The Effect of Bariatric Surgery on Patients with HIV Infection: a Literature Review

Obesity among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals is on the rise. Bariatric procedures such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) alter the GI tract. Whether this alteration has any impact on the absorption of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), thus affecting HIV disease markers such as CD4 cell count or viral load (VL), is not yet known. We conducted this review to look into the outcomes of bariatric surgery procedures, RYGB, SG and adjustable gastric band (AGB) and its effects on the CD4 cell counts and VL and HAART therapy. A literature search was conducted between January and April 2017, by two independent reviewers, using Pubmed and Google Scholar. The terms 'bariatric surgery and HIV', 'obesity surgery and HIV', 'gastric bypass surgery and HIV', 'sleeve gastrectomy and HIV' and 'gastric band and HIV' were used to retrieve available research. Of the 49 papers reviewed, only 12 reported the outcomes of patients with HIV undergoing bariatric surgery and were therefore included in this review. Six papers assessed patients undergoing RYGB only (N = 18), 3 papers reported on SG only (N = 18) and 3 papers reported on case mix, including 7 cases of RYGB, 4 cases of SG and 11 cases of AGB. Data is limited; however, based on the available data, bariatric surgery is safe in HIV-infected individuals and does not have any adverse impact on HIV disease progress. Additionally, there was no difference in HIV-related outcomes between SG and RYGB.