This article is part of the supplement: Abstracts of the Ninth International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection .

Oral presentation

O323 High HIV viral load inhibits osteoblast function and signalling

NS Chew¹, EJ Cotter¹, PP Doran¹ and WG Powderly²

¹  Catherine McCauley Research Centre, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

²  School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

corresponding author email

from Ninth International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection
Glasgow, UK. 9–13 November 2008

Journal of the International AIDS Society 2008, 11(Suppl 1):O33doi:10.1186/1758-2652-11-S1-O33

Published:	10 November 2008

First paragraph (this article has no abstract)

The prevalence of osteoporosis in a HIV-positive cohort is more than three times higher than in matched HIV-negative controls. While ART treatment has been associated with increased odds of reduced bone density compared with ART-naive patients, the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the initiation and progression of osteoporosis in HIV patients remain to be elucidated. Recent studies have reported altered bone biology and function in response to ART exposure, including effects on osteoclasts and osteoblasts. However, the direct effect of HIV on bone cell biology has not been evaluated. We hypothesized that exposure to HIV alters human osteoblast function and activity and ultimately leads to osteopenia/osteoporosis.