AIDS wasting is the involuntary loss of more than 10% of body weight, plus more than 30 days of either diarrhea, or weakness and fever.

Wasting is linked to disease progression and death. Losing just 5% of body weight can have the same negative effects.

Wasting is still a problem for people with AIDS, even in people whose HIV is controlled by medications.

Part of the weight lost during wasting is fat. More important is the loss of muscle mass. This is also called "lean body mass", or "body cell mass".

AIDS wasting and lipodystrophy can both cause some body shape changes.

Wasting is the loss of muscle and lipodystrophy is a loss of fat. They are not the same thing.