Malnutrition can be defined includes deficiencies of nutrients, imbalance and excesses which can take a toll on the body.
Malnutrition is one of the more common complications of AIDS. HIV/AIDS put a heavy toll on the nutrient demands by the body due to opportunistic infections that drain nutrients (diarrhea, vomiting), and/or reduce dietary nutrient intake.
It occurs in the majority of patents with HIV infection if survival exceeds 5 years. These patients often exhibit anorexia secondary to excessive proinflammatory cytokines or chronic illness. Lesion in the mouth/esophagus commonly encoutered in HIV patients can also interfere with oral intake.
Impaired growth and malnutrition are common among infants and children with HIV infection. In 1998, HIV wasting or failure to thrive became the second most common AIDS defining illness in the United States.
Malnutrition is a serious morbidity syndrome and disease complication that affects the functioning of the immune and consequently impacts on the survivability and quality of life.
AIDS patients who have significant weight loss and malnutrition are more susceptible to infectious complications and have a higher mortality rate compared with weight stable proteins.
Malnutrition in AIDS patients
