Diet - therapy with HAART is crucial for survival of PLWHA in Limited resource settings

Abstract

While no medical treatment cures HIV/AIDS, new methods to treat the disease have developed rapidly. Health-care professionals focus mainly on Anti Retroviral therapy for people living with HIV infection or AIDS. The prevalence of poverty in limited resource setting calls for food support alongside HAART to increase the survival of PLWHA. We report information on the financial, socio economic parameters, amount of food eaten and eating habits of I10 PLWHA, 55 on free HAART and 55 who were not on medication.

     Forty-three percent and 43.6% of the PLWHAs on HAART and those who are not on HAART respectively skip meals (P>0.05). About 67% of those receiving medication skip meals because of financial reasons while 21.4% of those not receiving medication also skip meals for the same reason (P > 0.05). Other reasons why they skip meals are lack of appetite, illnesses and for spiritual reasons.  About 66% of those on medication and 51.2% of those not on medication spend less or at most 150 Naira (approximately 1$) per day on feeding and they depend on the relatives to provide these money because majority of these patients were either out of employment or just petty traders.  In this study 42.5% and 40.5% of the HAART and non HAART respectively were not gainfully employed, while 58.7%.and 64.8%.of Subjects on medication and those not on medication are petty traders.

      Furthermore 26% of those on free medication who were alive and well did not attend clinic regularly because of finances. Patients were not meeting up with the increases in the recommended daily allowances for PLWHA. Furthermore the special nutrition requirement for PLWHA and food restriction in the use of some Anti- Retro viral calls for a proper nutrition programme along side with HAART in these limited resource settings. The patients were not educated and not knowledgeable on the type of food that should be eaten along with these medications. The percentages of subjects in this study who have either no education or primary education were significantly higher than those who had tertiary education p< 0.01.   Food assistance and nutrition counseling alongside with free HAART is needed to prolong the lives of PLWHAs in resource limited settings.