Resumen

TERAN-RINCON, Gladys; SOLANO, Liseti  y  PORTILLO, Zulia. Indicadores nutricionales en pacientes infectados con virus de inmunodeficiencia humana. An Venez Nutr [online]. 2001, vol.14, n.1, pp.27-34. ISSN 0798-0752.

In order to study the association of nutritional status and immune response by the use of nutritional indicators 24 HIV positive patients were evaluated. Anthropometric, biochemical and immunological parameters were measured. Regarding nutritional status, 33% of the patients were normal and 67% were undernourished, 36% had a weight loss greater than 10%, 60% had triceps skinfold values below 12.5 mm, 54% had midarm circumference below 25.3 cm, 33% had body mass index below 20 kg/m², 36% had serum albumin below 3.5 g/dL, 48% had transferrin below 2g/L, 40% had lymphocyte count below 1,500 cel/mm³, and 76% had CD4 below 500 cel/mm³. Most sensitive indicators were triceps skinfold, midarm circumference and serum transferrin, CD4 were below 200 cel/mm³ in 50% of the patients, between 200 and 500 cel/mm³ in 25% and above 500 cel/mm³ in 25% of them. Significant differences were found for weight, midarm circumference, body mass index, transferrin and lymphocyte count between patients and control. To differentiate normal patients from undernourished and among them, best indicators were weight loss percentage, body mass index, lymphocyte and CD4 count. The less useful were biochemical indicators. Comparison according to CD4 levels showed similar results. Findings indicate that worsening of nutritional status and staging of the HIV infection are accompanied by increased deterioration of the studied variables.

Palabras clave : Nutritional status; undernutrition; nutritional index; AIDS; HIV infection; CD4 lymphocytes.