Nutrition

HIV infection and poor nutritional status often exist in tandem. The infection increases the body’s energy requirements and diminishes the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. Also, clients with opportunistic infections or adverse drug side effects may have poor appetite or difficulty with eating. The nutritional status for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) or tuberculosis (TB) has significant impact on clinical outcomes, disease progression and antiretroviral therapy or TB treatment success.