THe following anti-HIV drugs are known to cause

“lipid elevation”

Agenerase	Aptivus
Fortovase	Invirase
Kaletra	Norvir
Lexiva	Sustiva

THESE DRUGS CAUSE DISEASES that affect virtually all tissues and organs: mitochondrial myopathy, cardiomyopathy, neuropathy, lactic acidosis, pancreas failure, diabetes, liver failure and bone marrow failure.

Anti-HIV drugs are toxic to cell mitochondria. Lipid Elevation can lead to numerous problems including heart disease and pancreatitis:

Organ manifestations of mitochondrial toxicity. The question marks signify manifestations being debated as of 2007.

The mitochondrial toxicity of anti-HIV drugs causes a bewildering diversity of diseases – many of which appear in the black box warning labels of the anti-HIV drugs:

Disorder

Manifestations

Neurological Neuromuscular Heart Endocrine Gastrointestinal Kidney Blood Psychiatric General

Peripheral neuropathy, encephalopathy, dementia, seizures, stroke Muscle weakness, exercise intolerance Weak heart, conduction disorders Diabetes mellitus, lipid elevation Colonic pseudo-obstruction, exocrine pancreas dysfunction, pancreatitis, hepatomegaly, steatosis, liver failure, lactic acidosis Non-selective proximal tubular dysfunction with acidic blood, phosphaturia and glucosuria, glomerulopathy Anemia, thrombocytopenia, pancytopenia Depression Multiple systemic lipomas, fatigue

Lipid elevation (elevated fats) is when you have too many fatty substances in your blood, including cholesterol and triglycerides. Blood fat elevation usually has no noticeable symptoms and tends to be discovered during routine examination. However, deposits of cholesterol (known as xanthomas) may form under the skin (especially around the eyes or along the Achilles tendon) in those with very high levels of cholesterol in the blood.

Xanthomas

High triglycerides may produce numerous pimple-like lesions across the body and affect vision.

Hypertriglyceridemia

Hypertriglyceridemia of retina

Atherosclerosis is a condition in which fatty material collects along the walls of arteries. Atherosclerosis can result from elevations of blood cholesterol, triglycerides, or both. This fatty material thickens, hardens (forms calcium deposits), and may eventually block the arteries.

Atherosclerosis

Cholesterol-filled coronary artery

Acute pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas that occurs suddenly and usually resolves in a few days with treatment. Marked elevation of triglyceride levels can cause acute pancreatitis. Normally, digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas do not become active until they reach the small intestine. But when the pancreas is inflamed, the enzymes inside it attack and damage the tissues that produce them. Acute pancreatitis can be a life-threatening illness with severe complications.

Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis

Xanthomata accompanying pancreatitis