Anti-retroviral therapy induced diabetes in a Nigerian.

BACKGROUND Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) using Highly Active Anti-retroviral Therapy (HAART) has led to considerable reduction in morbidity and mortality associated with human Immune deficiency virus (HIV) infection. This has led to increased life expectancy in HIV infected individuals on one hand, and side effects of chronic administration of these drugs on the other. One of such untoward effects is the association of anti-retroviral drugs especially the protease inhibitors (PI's) with metabolic derangements such as dyslipidaemia, lipodystrophy, insulin resistance and rarely Diabetes mellitus. Although there is extensive literature on this dysmetabolic syndrome in the Western World; there is to our knowledge no previous report from Nigeria. OBJECTIVE to report a case of diabetes mellitus following the initiation of anti-retroviral therapy. METHODS a case report of diabetes mellitus induced by anti-retroviral therapy in a 48 year old Nigerian male. CONCLUSION Awareness and high index of suspicion is required to identify the metabolic complications of ART.