In Cameroon, about 5.5% of the population are infected with HIV; women and individuals aged between 15 and 49 years are most commonly infected [2]. There are two types of HIV: types 1 and 2.

HIV type 1 (HIV-1), which is found in Europe, the USA, Asia, Central Africa and East Africa, has been classified into three groups: major (M), outlier (O) and new (N). In group M there are at least 10 subtypes of HIV-1, designated KU-57788 nmr A to J. There is substantial recombination among these subtypes in Cameroon. HIV type 2 has been isolated only in West and Central Africa [3,4]. HIV-1 group O is essentially found in Central Africa [4]. In Cameroon, despite the efforts of the government to educate vulnerable groups, particularly young girls and women, and the distribution of free condoms, the prevalence of the disease

is still increasing. As in many other countries, HIV treatment in Cameroon is based PI3K inhibitor essentially on the administration of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and the symptomatic treatment of opportunistic infections (OIs). Three types of ARV drug [nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and protease inhibitors (PIs)] are used in combination and are considered as treatment of reference or as standard treatment in children and adults. The tritherapies available in Cameroon, namely (i) two NRTIs+one PI and (ii) two

NRTIs+one NNRTI, have comparable efficacies [3]. About 30% of HIV-positive patients in Cameroon receive tritherapy. Globally, the introduction of this therapy has significantly improved patients’ health. However, adverse effects, for instance hypertriglyceridaemia and hypocholesterolaemia, have been found to be more frequent in patients on ARV therapy than in HIV-negative controls [5–7]. These effects are attributable principally to disturbances in lipid metabolism with complications affecting the cardiovascular system [8,9]. Insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and clinical lipodystrophy during ARV therapy have also been reported [10–17]. In Cameroon, the evaluation of Racecadotril lipid parameters is not required during follow-up of HIV-infected patients. Thus, although disturbances in lipid metabolism have been found in HIV-infected patients, no study has yet been carried out to determine whether these disturbances are caused by the treatment or by other factors. Here we report a case–control study investigating the correlation between HIV infection and dyslipidaemia. All the 376 subjects that consulted in dermatology at the Yaounde University Teaching Hospital from December 2005 to May 2006, whether HIV-negative or HIV-positive, were enrolled in this study. However, only 344 subjects were eligible for inclusion, the remaining 32 individuals being excluded from the study (Table 1).