Wasting is the name given to the serious weight loss suffered by many people living with AIDS. The body is unable to take in and keep all the nutrients needed to
stay healthy, and this leads to weight loss and malnutrition. Wasting can be caused by not taking in enough food, or by not being able to absorb properly the food that is eaten. Sometimes the nutrients can
be absorbed but they are not broken down and used properly by the body.
What do I look for?
A person with wasting has, without trying to, lost more than 10% of original body weight. Other symptoms
may include: loss of appetite diarrhea and/or abdominal pain nausea or vomiting, mouth sores or difficulty/painful swallowing. A person with these symptoms should seek medical attention.
Can Wasting be prevented?
Nutrition counselling and education should be provided as soon as HIV is diagnosed. Sometimes wasting can be controlled by healthy eating, and by treating problems such as
mouth sores, nausea, difficulty swallowing and diarrhea when they first start. Sometimes people have serious weight loss in spite of every effort to keep weight on.
How is Wasting treated?
Treatment is based on the symptoms a person has. For example, diarrhea can be treated by using drugs like IMODIUM and LOMOTIL. Appetite can be stimulated by steroid drugs such as MARINOL and MEGACE. Some
people may respond to treatment with SOMATOSTATIN for diarrhea or HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE but these medications are not widely available and are very expensive.
The goal of therapy is a high-calorie, well
balanced diet, generally double the normal calorie intake. Oral nutritional supplements can be used to increase calorie intake if necessary. In certain cases, nutrition can be provided through tube or
intravenous feeding. A visit with a dietitian should be arranged if you have wasting.
References
Flaskerud, JH, Ungvarski, PJ. (1995)
. HIV/AIDS: A Guide to Nursing Care. WB Saunders Co. pp. 122-123.
Whitehead, M, Patterson, B. (1993). Managing your Health. CATIE. pp. 111-114
