People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV)

Diarrhoea and AIDS

• Source:

• Mata L. 1988. Dialogue Diarrhoea, (35):3.

• URL:

• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12281644

• Summary:

• Patients with AIDS are particularly susceptible to gut colonization or invasion by common enteroviruses, resulting in acute diarrhea, chronic diarrhea, and wasting. Bacterial overgrowth may develop in the small intestine of AIDS victims, causing chronic diarrhea and malabsorption, and since gut pathogens are significantly more prevalent in developing countries, they are likely to play a greater role in AIDS than in developed countries. In addition, management of AIDS diarrhea is complicated by the difficulties in eliminating the agent and associated symptoms, and by the critical condition of the patient; thus, efforts to improve personal hygiene and environmental sanitation should be given a high priority in less developed countries.