NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT OF DRUG-ADDICTS - RELATION WITH HIV-INFECTION IN EARLY STAGES

Objective: To assess the nutritional status of drug addicts without ac ute organic pathology, in order to determine the prevalence of malnutr ition and to discern if early HIV infection is associated with a poor nutritional status in this group of patients. Design: Prospective stud y. Setting: Detoxication unit of a university hospital. Patients: 140 drug addicts without acute organic pathology. 31 patients were HIV+. N o one fulfilled the definition of AIDS. Results: We found that drug ad dicts were undernourished: 92.4% weighed under the mean populational w eight and 55.7% had a weight loss above 5%. The distribution of mid up per arm circumference (MUAC), triceps skinfold (TSF) and mid arm muscl e area (MAMA) was lower than a reference normal population. Food intak es were poor; 66.4% of our patients complained of anorexia on admissio n. The mean caloric intake was 978 +/- 89 kcal/day in females and 1265 +/- 64 kcal/day in males. The mean protein intakes were 39.3 +/- 3.3 g/day in females (0.76 +/- 0.07 g/kg/day) and 49.7 +/- 2.7 g/day in ma les (0.77 +/- 0.04 g/kg/day). When we compared nutritional parameters between HIV+ and HIV- patients we found no differences. Conclusions: N utritional impairment in drugs abusers with early stages of HIV infect ion should be attributed to drug abuse rather than to HIV infection.