Guidelines for nutrition support in AIDS
Probart, C.K.
Journal of School Health 59(4): 170-171
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-4391 PMID: 2716293 DOI: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.1989.tb04694.xDocument Number: 382477
These guidelines were written by the Task Force on Nutrition Support in AIDS. The recommendations are: 1) All patients should have a complete nutritional assessment on initial contact with a health professional. This includes the asymptomatic individual, identified as HIV positive. 2) The major aim of all nutritional therapy is to minimize loss of lean body mass and to prevent deficiencies of all micronutrients. To this end, oral food intake is the first choice for providing good nutrition. When this is not possible enteral nutrition, using various routes, must be considered. 3) Only when the enteral routes are not feasible should parenteral nutrition be used. 4) Because malnutrition can complicate the course of AIDS, nutritional support should be given before the patient becomes malnourished. Thus, an aggressive approach to nutritional therapy is advocated at each stage of the disease. 5) Although the use of nutritional supplementation in the form of multivitamin and mineral preparations containing 100% of the RDA for all micronutrients is acceptable to insure micronutrient sufficiency, there is no evidence that megadoses of any vitamin or mineral will alter the course of AIDS or further improve the nutritional status of the patient. 6) In anticipation of a rapid proliferation of drugs used to treat AIDS, special attention must be paid to drug-nutrient interaction. 7) Because of the complex nature of the disease, a multidisciplinary team approach involving a physician, a dietitian, and a nurse is indicated for optimal nutrition management.