Keywords
HIV
Nutritional status
Malnutrition
How to Cite
Abstract
Nutritional status is a critical component in the clinical management of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This literature review aims to synthesize scientific evidence regarding the prevalence of nutritional problems, dominant determinants, and the effectiveness of nutritional interventions in People Living with HIV (PLHIV). The research method employed a literature review with a systematic search of the PubMed and Google Scholar databases for articles published between 2014 – 2024. From the selection process, 30 relevant articles were analyzed narratively. The results indicate that the prevalence of wasting still ranges between 10.3 – 25% in developing countries, while in the era of antiretroviral therapy (ART), the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased significantly, reaching 31.2 – 50%. The most dominant determinants are clinical stage of the disease (biological) and food insecurity due to low economic status (socio-economic). The most effective nutritional interventions are a combination of micronutrient supplementation (Zinc and Selenium) and structured dietary counseling, which have been proven to increase CD4 cell counts and quality of life. This study recommends the integration of specific nutritional protocols into standard ART services to mitigate the risk of metabolic complications.
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