Prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting among children infected with human immunodeficiency virus in south India .

Padmapriyadarsini, C.; Pooranagangadevi, N.; Chandrasekaran, K.; Subramanyan, S.; Thiruvalluvan, C.; Bhavani, P.K.; Swaminathan, S.

International Journal of Pediatrics; 2009; 1-5.

Background : Growth failure is a common feature of children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Malnutrition increases mortality and may impair the response to antiretroviral treatment.

Objective: Our objective was to describe the prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting in HIV-infected children in south India and to assess the utility of these parameters in predicting immune status.

Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, anthropometric measurements and CD4 counts were performed on 231 HIV-infected children. Z scores for height for age, weight for age, and weight for height were correlated with CD4 cell counts and receiver operating characteristic curves plotted.

Results: Prevalence of underweight was 63%, stunting 58%, and wasting 16%, respectively. 33–45% of children were moderately or severely malnourished even at CD4 > 25%; sensitivity and specificity of stunting or underweight to predict HIV disease severity was low.

Conclusions: Undernutrition and stunting are common among HIV-infected children at all stages of the disease in India . Early and aggressive nutritional intervention is required, if long-term outcomes are to be improved.

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