Source: Genomics  |  Posted 9 years ago

People with HIV, including those who are asymptomatic, commonly show micronutrient deficiencies, which in some cases reflect inflammation.

Researchers from the Universitat Rovira y Virgili and the Hospital Universitari Sant Joan, Reus Tarragona, Spain, enrolled into their study 86 subjects infected with HIV. The patients were divided into three groups: asymptomatic; AIDS without opportunistic infection; and AIDS with active opportunistic infection. The authors also enrolled a control group.

Serum levels of vitamin A were below the reference range in 36.4% of people with HIV. Moreover, vitamin E levels were below the reference range in 14.3% of patients, respectively. Serum levels of vitamins A and E were not below the reference range among controls. On the other hand, more controls showed serum copper levels below the reference range compared to HIV-positive people.

Vitamin A deficiency became more common with increasing disease severity. AIDS patients with active opportunistic infections showed lower vitamin A serum concentrations and higher copper concentrations than the other groups. Serum concentrations of vitamin A and copper correlated with inflammatory parameters.

The authors concluded that HIV-infected patients, including those who are asymptomatic, commonly show micronutrient deficiencies. The authors suggested that the serum concentrations of vitamin A and copper might reflect the effects of inflammation rather than nutritional status.