HOWARD1

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. "The Natural History of Menopause in HIV-Infected Drug Users" is a five-year prospective study of the effects of HIV and drug use on menopause and its sequelae in middle-aged women in the Bronx, New York City. A cohort of 620 women with or at risk for HIV infection, including drug users and women with a history of high-risk sexual contact, has been assembled. A subset of these women (N=240) is being enrolled in the "Diabetes and Lipids Substudy", to assess the effects of HIV infection and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and the development of atherosclerosis. We are targeting substudy enrollment such that: 1) 90 women are HIV-negative; 2) 40 are HIV-infected but antiretroviral na¿ve; 3) 40 are HIV-infected, on HAART, but protease inhibitor (PI) na¿ve; and 4) 70 are HIV-infected and on HAART including a PI. Women who have a history of diabetes mellitus or are pregnant are ineligible for substudy enrollment. Substudy participants will undergo two fasting research visits at the GCRC over a three year period, at which a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and lipid profile will be performed. The participants will also undergo two carotid ultrasounds to assess subclinical atherosclerosis.