Nutritional status changes in HIV-infected children receiving combined antiretroviral therapy including protease inhibitors

Maintaining linear growth and weight gain in HIV-infected children is often difficult. Nutritional evaluation and support are recognised as important factors to improve their quality of life. Combination antiretroviral therap y including protease inhibitors (HAART) reduces HIV-viral load and improves survival, quality of life and nutritional status. Our study aimed to deter mine changes in nutrional status based on body weight, height and nutrition al habits, of HIV-infected children receiving HAART. possible side effects of lipid metabolism were also studied. Twenty five children. 13 treated wit h HAART (group B) were followed up for 12 months. We did not observe statis tically significant differences in nutritional status over that time or bet ween groups A and B. Inadequate energy intake was more common in patients w ith advanced HIV-disease. Hyperlipidemia was found in 70% of children recei ving ritonavir and in approximate to 50% of children receiving nelfinavir. We observed an important although not statistically significative modificat ion in the height of those in group B. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. and I nternational Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.