Background: Children affected by the HIV virus through vertical transmission commonly present energetic-protein malnutrition (EPM), or wasting syndrome that precedes other manifestations of the disease, compromising their normal development. Objective: to investigate the nutritional profile of serum positive to HIV virus children, comparing them to healthy children and to the reference patterns. Methods: cross-sectional descriptive study of 90 children aged 5 to 9 years, divided into two groups, matched by sex and age: one consisting of 30 seropositive children and another of 60 healthy children. The nutritional evaluation was made by anthropometry, according to the indexes of height to age (HA), weight to age (WA) and Body Mass Index to Age (BMIA), analyzed by the new curves proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2007). Additional data were obtained through a semi structured interview form answered by parents or guardians of the child. In the statistical analysis, Chi-square and Exact of Fischer tests were used, with significance level of 5%. Results: Most children were masculine (60%). All HIV-positive children were using ART. The mothers of both groups, HIV positive (73.4%) and seronegative (65.0%), had education up to 8 years and lived with up to 3 minimum wages, and only 3.3% took ART during pregnancy and childbirth. The evaluation of nutritional status showed a high percentage of low weight to age (13.3%) in seropositive children, and low height to age or growth retard in both groups, mainly among HIV-positive (23.3%). In all ages and in both groups, height deficits in centimeters were observed, in relation to the corresponding reference values, although they do not present in a regular and crescent way with increasing of age. The IMCI indicated adequacy of weight to height and overweight in both groups. Conclusion: Despite serum positive children have lost speed of growth and reached lower stature, they adjusted their weight, presenting favorable nutritional status.
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