Effect of Food Insecurity on the HIV Progression among the HIV-infected Patients in Iran

Abstract

Background: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a common condition mainly associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The virus destroys the immune system by attacking the cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4+) cells in the body. However, the extent of CD4 + cell destruction has not been evaluated among the HIV-infected individuals facing various levels of food insecurity. Aim: The study investigated the effect of food insecurity on the HIV progression among the HIV-infected individuals in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: A total of 123 HIV-infected participants with AIDS were selected randomly at four behavioral health specialist centers in Tehran. The demographic data and information on food security situation for each person and the family was collected using the household food security valid questionnaire. The CD4 cell count was obtained from medical records of each patient. The effect of food insecurity on the CD4 cells count among the HIV-infected individuals was evaluated by linear regression method. Results: More than 46 percent of the participants in this study were moderately to severely food insecure. Food insecurity significantly affected the CD4+ cell counts (P=0.001) of the HIV-infected individuals in the study. Conclusion: The results suggest that food security situation of HIV/AIDS patients affects the CD4+ cell counts and improvement in the nutritional state of AIDS patients may help to prevent progression of the disease among these patients.