Diagnosis and management of HIV-infected patients with diarrhoea.

Diarrhoea and weight loss are found in more than 50% of patients with AIDS and in some patients can be so severe that death may occur even in the absence of opportunistic infections. Systematic evaluation of diarrhoeal illness in HIV-infected patients will often identify a treatable aetiology. Despite the tendency for recurrences, the majority of patients will respond to anti-infective therapy. A practical approach to the diagnosis and management of HIV-infected patients with diarrhoea is presented in this article.