High resting energy expenditure, less fat-free mass, and less muscle strength in HIV-infected children: a matched, cross-sectional study

Abstract 

Many improvements have been made in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in pediatric patients; however, challenges remain in terms of achieving normal growth, body composition, and metabolism during treatment, etc. Current nutritional recommendations are based on studies performed in adults, with limited data on the HIV-infected pediatric population. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the resting energy expenditure (REE) of asymptomatic HIV-infected pediatric patients with healthy counterparts and to compare body composition, dietary intake, and physical activity between the two groups.