Pitavastatin to REduce Physical Function Impairment and FRailty in HIV (PREPARE)

Aging with HIV is associated with earlier development of frailty (weakness) or disability, including loss of physical and muscle strength, and walking speed. Few treatments have been shown to prevent or slow these impairments in people with or without HIV. Some studies have suggested that the class of drugs called statins (for example, pitavastatin) might be helpful in slowing frailty or disability. This might happen by decreasing fat within the muscle or by decreasing inflammation markers (substances in the blood that determine how the body reacts to infection or irritation) in the blood. Other studies have shown that statins increase the risk of muscle aches and pains. This ancillary study was done to determine the impact of the drug pitavastatin on physical and muscle function.