RESTING ENERGY-EXPENDITURE IN HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS INFECTED PATIENTS - COMPARISON BETWEEN PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT SECONDARY INFECTIONS

Resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured in 165 malnourished pati ents with human immunodeficiency virus infection and compared with tha t of 31 control subjects. Of these patients, 129 had no symptoms of se condary infections (NI), whereas 36 had evolving secondary infection ( 1) despite a body temperature < 38-degrees-C. Mean REE was 11 % higher in the NI group than in the control group (P < 0.05); it was 34% high er in the I group than in the control group (P < 0.001) and 21 % highe r than in the NI group (P < 0.01). In all cases the best predictive va riable for REE was the fat-free mass (FFM) (r = 0.77, P < 0.001 in NI; r = 0.70, P < 0.001 in 1; r = 0.78 in the control group. The REE-FFM ratio was 152.5 +/- 1.2 and 207 +/- 5.4 kJ . kg-1 . d-1 in the NI and I groups, respectively. A high energy expenditure may be a harbinger o f secondary infection in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and may pa rticipate in accelerated weight loss.