Altered Body Shape: Teleconference January 20, Recording, Transcript Available
"Altered Body Shape in HIV Disease: A Side Effect of Therapy?," a one-hour interactive telephone conference allowing patients and medical professionals to question leading experts, will take place Wednesday, January 20, starting 5 p.m. Pacific time (8 p.m. Eastern time). There is no charge, but participants must register in advance. Later, anyone can hear a recording by telephone, or obtain an edited transcript from the Web.The panelists are:
Donald Kotler, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons;
Andrew Carr, M.D., Staff Specialist, HIV Medicine and Immunology, St. Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, Australia;
Ramon A. (Gabriel) Torres, M.D., co-director of the Bentley-Salick Medical Practice, PC, New York City;
Matthew Sharp, person with AIDS, ACT UP/Golden Gate;
Ronald Baker, Ph.D., editor-in-chief, HIVandHepatitis.com (a new Internet publication, scheduled to begin operation on February 1).
"Some people on anti-HIV therapy, including those using protease inhibitors, are experiencing a loss of fat in their arms and legs, but also an increase in abdominal fat. Others have developed fat deposits ("buffalo hump") at the base of the neck and severe wrinkling of the facial skin; some women report similar changes as well as enlarged breast size. In addition, instances of diabetes and serious heart disease have been linked to the syndrome. The teleconference panel will discuss and answer questions about this unexpected new phenomenon, its characteristics, possible causes, potential treatment, and ongoing and planned studies" (from the teleconference announcement).
This teleconference is sponsored by The AIDS Wasting Foundation (212-481-2460, or email to aidswasting@earthlink.net), with an unrestricted educational grant from Serono Laboratories, Inc.
To join the teleconference, you must register in advance; call 800-880-5121 Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time.
No registration is needed to hear a recording, which will be available within 24 hours after the teleconference, 24 hours a day, for replay by telephone with fast-forward and backward options; call toll-free 888-207-2647, access code 1967.
Also, within ten days of the teleconference an edited transcript will be published at (website no longer available).
