Patients who got the real injection felt better about how their belly looked, while those who got the fake shot didn’t.
Scientific Claim
Tesamorelin (2 mg subcutaneous daily for 6 months) improves patient-reported distress about belly appearance in HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy with abdominal fat accumulation, with a statistically significant difference compared to placebo.
Original Statement
“Patient rating of belly appearance distress (P = 0.02) and physician rating of belly profile (P = 0.02) were significantly improved in the tesamorelin vs. placebo-treated groups.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The use of blinded assessments and statistical significance (P = 0.02) in an RCT supports definitive causal language for this psychological outcome.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Unknown Title
People with HIV who took this drug for 6 months felt less upset about their belly size compared to those who took a dummy pill, and the difference was real and not due to chance.