The gastrointestinal health of HIV/AIDS patients is frequently impaired,
with diarrhea, maldigestion and malabsorption being commonly reported.
AIDS patients with chronic diarrhea often show abnormal absorption
and malnutrition, even in the absence of intestinal pathogens.1
Pancreatitis--inflammation of the pancreas resulting in several
digestive abnormalities--is also independently associated with AIDS,
sometimes through infection with cryptosporidium or other agents.2
A study by gastroenterologists
at San Francisco General Hospital found that fat malabsorption (leading
to steatorrhea) was a major problem occurring in almost half of
all AIDS patients. They recommended that "assessment of fat
malabsorption should be considered in (AIDS) patients with unexplained
weight loss or diarrhea before extensive evaluation of opportunistic
infections."3
The
Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis (CDSA) evaluates
a stool sample for digestion, absorption, intestinal function and
the status of microbial flora, and enables clinicians to tailor
treatment specifically to each patient.
References:
1 Lambl BB, Federman M, Pleskow D, Wanke CA. Malabsorption and wasting
in AIDS patients with microsporidia and pathogen-negative diarrhea.
AIDS 1996;10&):739-44.
2 Dowell SF, Holt EA, Murphy FK. Pancreatitis associated with human
immunodeficiency virus infection: a matched case-control study.
Tex Med 1996;92(9):44-49.
3 Koch J, Garcia-Shelton YL, Neal EA, Chan MF, Weaver KE, Cello
JP. Steatorrhea: a common manifestation in patients with HIV/AIDS.
Nutrition 1996;12(7-8):507-510.
All
lab tests can be done through the mail in the privacy of your own
home, except blood tests, we send you to a lab to have your blood
drawn for these. After you pay for the test we mail you the kit,
the results take two weeks, the test results will be mailed to us
and we will call you to go over the results, its that easy! All
tests include the consultation for the report of findings.
Click on area
of interest on the right for more information
Call our office
for details. 800-956-7083 OR 818-707-3126
|
hCG
