Basic HIV Course for Health Professionals Session

Transcript:Basic HIV Course for Health Professionals Session:
Basic HIV Course for Health Professionals Session 13: Nutrition in the Context of HIV and TB Learning Objectives By the end of this session participants should be able to: Provide the basic concepts of the relationship between food, nutrition and HIV/AIDS Discuss the general dietary needs and practices to reduce morbidity, mortality and progression of HIV to AIDS The Link between HIV and Nutrition (1) Malnutrition is a common complication of HIV infection Malnutrition further exacerbates the immune-suppression caused by HIV Malnutrition is therefore part of a cycle whereby it both contributes to HIV disease progression and is caused by HIV as indicated in the illustration to the right People are malnourished if: their diet does not provide adequate nutrients for growth and maintenance or they are unable to fully utilize food due to illness (undernutrition) or they consume too many calories (over-nutrition) Importance of Nutrition Good nutrition can help: people feel strong physically and mentally strengthen the immune system to fight infection people stay productive and physically able prevent undernutrition improve drug adherence and effectiveness manage common symptoms of illness and drug side effects This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA Poor Nutrition Poor nutrition can: Weaken the immune system Increase vulnerability to infections Reduce the body’s ability to recover from infections Increase the risk of developing non-communicable diseases This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND What are Some Consequences of Malnutrition in PLHIV and TB Clients? Poor food absorption Poor growth Increased morbidity Metabolic complications Increased risk of OIs Reduced survival Increased cost of treating malnutrition-related illness Increased risk of MTCT of HIV Socioeconomic problems, e.g.: food insecurity poverty The Vicious Cycle between Undernutrition and HIV and/or TB Nutrition Assessment and Intervention Importance of Nutrition Assessment Identifies people at risk of malnutrition for early intervention or referral Detects eating habits that increase disease risk Identifies needs for nutrition education and counselling Identifies local food resources Tracks growth and weight trends Establishes a framework for a Nutrition Care Plan Patients that are losing weight should be actively investigated and monitored until the cause is found or the weight loss resolves. As a minimum, TB screening and a random blood glucose level should be performed. Further investigations should be done as indicated by history and examination. Refer any patients with documented ongoing weight loss without an obvious cause. Extrapulmonary TB or malignancies may need