ABSTRACT
Involuntary weight loss leading to cachexia is a major morbid and mortal complication of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This wasting results from a combination of reduced food intake, loss of gastrointestinal function, and the unrelenting activation of the host immune response to infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The exact mechanisms underlying the development of cachexia have not been defined completely (1). Nonetheless, much is known about the pathophysiology of the malnutrition associated with AIDS (2), and there is developing information on potential therapies to prevent, reverse, or delay the development of malnutrition in AIDS patients (3).
