TOTAL PARENTERAL-NUTRITION AND IMMUNE-SYSTEM ACTIVITY - A REVIEW

Malnutrition has been associated with immunosuppression, reduced host defenses, and increased incidence of infections and mortality. Improve ment of nutritional status through various nutritional support regimen s may restore immunocompetence and consequently reduce the rate and se verity of infections in hospitalized patients. However, several invest igators, exploring the effect of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) on t he immune system, have suggested that TPN may adversely affect immune function. During the past 20 yr special interest was given to the poss ible immunosuppressive effect of parenteral fat emulsions and conflict ing reports have been published. This review focuses on the consequenc es of TPN on immune response and 1 investigates whether there might be a link between the nutrients, the immune system, and possibly the cen tral nervous system,which also seems to affect immune response.