Elisa Maritza Linares Guerra

T-Cell Number, Nutritional Status, and HIV: The Cuban Experience in the Provision of Food and Nutrition Care to People with HIV/AIDS

HIV infection damages the immune system, thus leading to malnutrition. Risk of malnutrition increases as infection progresses. Therefore, several nutritional indicators have also been proposed as markers of infection progression and alternatives for the assessment and follow-up of HIV/AIDS patients in low-income countries. The present chapter describes results of studies demonstrating the role of these indicators as markers of progression of HIV infection assessed according to their relationship with CD4+ T-lymphocytes counts. The chapter also discusses the results achieved with the use of previously described nutritional assessment tools after being adapted to HIV/AIDS patients, such as Chang’s algorithm and Detsky’s Subjective Global Assessment Survey. In addition, the importance of healthy feeding is approached, with food recommendations aimed to preserve patient’s nutritional status, improve immune system function, and slow progression of HIV infection toward clinical AIDS. Finally, the Cuba experience in prevention and treatment of this epidemic since its onset is presented, highlighting actions taken by national governmental and health authorities aimed at early detection of infection, production, and distribution of generic antiretroviral drugs, and at provision of nutritional care to patients through locally operating Nutritional Support Groups. All these efforts are oriented to achieve comprehensive, accessible, equal, free, and highest-quality medical care to HIV/AIDS patients in Cuba without any form of distinction and/or discrimination.