Clinical approach to weight loss in the patient with HIV infection.

The loss of body weight is a common finding in the setting of AIDS or ARC. Weight loss usually heralds the appearance of an AIDS-associated infectious disease or neoplasm. Multiple mechanisms for catabolism exist, including decreased caloric intake, excessive caloric loss, and increased metabolic caloric consumption. Among the most serious implications of weight loss is the fact that many of the immune defects observed in persons with AIDS are exacerbated by protein-calorie malnutrition. There are myriad causes of weight loss in patients with AIDS and ARC. A systematic and thorough diagnostic approach guided by the patient's presenting symptoms often yields an etiology and therapeutic direction.