HIV patients with high liver enzymes who lost visceral fat from tesamorelin kept their liver enzyme improvements for a full year even after stopping the drug, even though some fat came back.
Scientific Claim
Among HIV-infected patients with elevated baseline ALT or AST who achieved ≥8% VAT reduction with tesamorelin, improvements in ALT and AST levels persisted for 52 weeks despite partial VAT reaccumulation after switching to placebo.
Original Statement
“This improvement among VAT responders persisted over 52 weeks even in those switched to placebo despite a partial re-accumulation of VAT.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The claim accurately describes the observed persistence of liver enzyme improvements without implying causation, consistent with the study's design limitations.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Visceral fat reduction with tesamorelin is associated with improved liver enzymes in HIV