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HIV wasting syndrome

• More information on HIV wasting syndrome

A person with HIV wasting syndrome loses at least 10 percent of her body weight and has at least 30 days of either diarrhea or weakness and fever. A person with HIV-associated wasting is considered to have AIDS. Severe loss of weight and muscle, or lean body mass, leads to muscle weakness and organ failure. Wasting is caused by many things:

• Not wanting to eat (poor appetite)
• Side effects from drugs, like a change in your sense of taste
• No energy to shop and prepare food
• Sore mouth
• Problems swallowing
• Diarrhea
• Nausea or vomiting
• Problems absorbing nutrients
• Feeling full from only a small amount of food because your stomach doesn't empty right
• Depression

Here are some tips to help you keep weight on and treat weight loss:

• Try to prevent or treat opportunistic infections that interfere with eating.
• Talk to your doctor about medicines to increase your appetite and to treat nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
• Eat healthy foods. To find out what foods are good for you, talk to your doctor or a nutritionist. There are nutritionists who specialize in HIV/AIDS.
• Ask your doctor about keeping fit and about resistance training, which involves lifting small weights to build muscle.

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More information on HIV wasting syndrome

Explore other publications and websites

• Wasting Syndrome (Copyright © AIDSInfoNet) — This publication explains what AIDS wasting is, what causes it, and how it is treated. This publication also links to information on exercise for people HIV/AIDS, which can help build lean body mass.
  http://aidsinfonet.org/fact_sheets/view/519?lang=eng

Content last updated July 1, 2011.

Resources last updated July 1, 2011.

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