Effect of Nutrition Supplementation in Children Living with HIV at ART Centre.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the benefits of nutrition supplementation in children living with HIV (CLHIV).


METHODS
A prospective observational study was carried out at antiretroviral therapy (ART)/pediatric centre of excellence (PCOE), Niloufer hospital for a period of one year in CLHIV (N = 164) aged 1 to 18 y referred to ART/PCOE. Nutrition supplementation was given in the form of Ready to Use Food (About 350 kcal and 12 g of protein per day) supplementation to assess improvement in Height for age Z (HAZ), Weight for Age Z (WAZ), Weight for Height Z (WHZ) and Body Mass Index for age Z (BMIZ) scores over a period of one year.


RESULTS
At baseline, 65.5 % and 57.5 % of children below and above 5 y respectively were stunted. 24.1 % and 45.3 % children below and above 5 y respectively were wasted/thin (as assessed by BMI for age). Mean BMIZ score significantly improved in both the age groups (0.96 Z score, P < 0.001) in below and above 5 (0.37 Z score, P < 0.001) respectively at the end of 12 mo. Mean HAZ score also significantly improved in children above 5 y (0.09 Z score, P < 0.05) with non-significant improvement below 5 y (0.14 Z score, P < 0.57) by the end of 12 mo.


CONCLUSIONS
Nutrition supplementation over one year resulted in moderate improvement in the nutritional status of CLHIV. However, it is unclear, whether the improvement in nutritional status was due to regular visits to ART centre that may have resulted in better adherence to treatment or an additional benefit of nutrition intervention. This warrants a well-designed randomized controlled trial to examine the benefits of nutrition supplementation in CLHIV attending ART centre.
Pediatric Centre of Excellence, Niloufer Hospital, Hyderabad, 500 004, India. pcoe.niloufer@gmail.com.
Himabindu Singh
HS
Thakur
Pediatric Centre of Excellence, Niloufer Hospital, Hyderabad, 500 004, India.
Geetha Srivalliswari
GS
Gottapu
Pediatric Centre of Excellence, Niloufer Hospital, Hyderabad, 500 004, India.
Sai Prasad
SP
Kadali
Clinical Division, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India.
Bharati
B
Kulkarni
Clinical Division, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India.
Raja Sriswan
RS
Mamidi
D000293:Adolescent; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000187:drug effects*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents
Children living with HIV; Nutrition status; Nutrition supplementation