Malnutrition in hospitalized people living with HIV/AIDS: evidence from a cross-sectional study from Chengdu, China

Objectives: Nutrition support has long been ignored in China's HIV/AIDS treatment and care. The objectives of this project were to evaluate the prevalence of malnutrition among Chengdu urban HIV positive patients, and to provide evidence for further nutritional intervention. Materials and Methods: HIV-infected adults admitted to an infectious diseases inpatient unit were eligible for this study. Nutritional status was evaluated using Subject Global Assessment (SGA), Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), body mass index (BMI), food frequency questionnaire and dietary records. Results: 94 hospitalized HIV positive patients were enrolled from April 2009 to May 2010. The median CD4 T cell count was 44.0/mm(3). The prevalence of malnutrition is measured by three tools and ranged from 37.2% (by BMI) to 77.2% (by SGA class B/C or MUST scores >= 2). Chi-square test showed significant relationship between opportunistic infections and MUST score (OR=5.67, p<0.005, 95% CI=1.96-16.4). Of patients, 59.6% had insufficient total energy intake; while 54.3% had insufficient protein intake. Conclusions: Malnutrition is highly prevalent among Chengdu urban HIV/AIDS patients who underwent inpatient treatment. Calorie and protein deficiency should be given more attention in HIV/AIDS care programs. Nutrition evaluation and support should be considered an integral parts of national and community HIV/AIDS treatment and care guidelines.