title: Malnutrition and wasting, immunodepression, and chronic inflammation as independent predictors of survival in HIV-infected patients.
abstract: To analyze the long-term survival factors associated with HIV infection, a prospective follow-up study of 165 HIV-infected patients was performed after a clinical, nutritional, and biological evaluation. Survival rate could be determined in 129 patients after a follow-up of 42 mo before the use of protease inhibitors. After univariate analysis, multivariate analysis was performed with the Cox regression proportional-hazard model. Survival curves were calculated and compared with the Kaplan, Meier, and log-rank tests. The study also analyzed the factors associated with impaired nutritional status at the beginning of the study and their effects on the long-term follow-up. Factors that could explain body weight loss before the study were the level of intakes, resting energy expenditure, chronic diarrhea, and the number of previous opportunistic infections. In the long-term follow-up, univariate analysis showed that nutritional status could be separated into four classes of body weight loss (BWL) by degree of loss (BWL < or = 5%, 5% < BWL < or = 10%, 10% < BWL < or = 20%, BWL > 20%); lean body mass (adjusted to height), body cell mass, CD4 count, albumin, prealbumin, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were all significant predictors. Age, stage of disease, number of previous opportunistic infections, and antiviral therapies were not associated with a change in survival. With the multivariate model, only CD4 counts, lean body mass/height squared, and CRP remained significant independent predictors of survival after controlling for other factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine, Hôpital R. Poincaré, Garches, France. jean-claude.melchior@rpc.ap-hop-paris.fr
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Melchior
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Niyongabo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Henzel
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Durack-Bown
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Henri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boulier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D019247:HIV Wasting Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein